


Got Your Six

by dlwritings



Category: Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), Tom Holland (Actor) - Fandom, tom holland - Fandom
Genre: Choking, Cocaine, Date Rape Drug/Roofies, Drinking, Explicit Language, F/M, Guns, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Knives, Masturbation, Mob Boss Tom Holland, Oral Sex, Sexual Harassment, Smoking, Swearing, Vaginal Fingering, Vaginal Sex, Vomiting, mob!tom holland
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-07
Updated: 2020-01-21
Packaged: 2021-02-27 07:40:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 49,208
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22153396
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dlwritings/pseuds/dlwritings
Summary: (Y/N) and her sister are best friends. They never get into any trouble, and they like the simple lives they lead. When they somehow get roped into the world of one of New York’s most notorious mafia families, they both soon forget what simple means altogether. Trouble starts to follow their every step, but with the help of mob boss Tom and his consigliere Harrison, they just might make it out alive.
Relationships: Harrison Osterfield/Original Female Character(s), Tom Holland (Actor) & Reader, Tom Holland (Actor) & You, Tom Holland (Actor)/Reader, Tom Holland (Actor)/You
Comments: 14
Kudos: 57





	1. Chapter 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> (Y/N) and her sister, April, think they’re in for a normal day at their family coffee shop, but two, new, intriguing customers come in and change everything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> pairing - mob!Tom x reader  
> word count - 4,257  
> warnings - language

“(Y/N), can you make a vanilla latte for Eleanor?”

“I’ve gotta warm up a muffin for Ted.”

“Okay, well, after that?”

“What are you doing?”

“Working register.”

“There’s no one in line, April.”

“But you never know when someone will show up!”

“I hate you.”

My sister, April, stuck her tongue out at me as I rolled my eyes with a smile. The microwave beeped, so I quickly took the chocolate chip muffin out and set it on a plate. I walked it over to one of the tables and gave it to Ted, a 60-or-so-year-old gentleman who was a regular customer at my family’s cafe, Bake and Brew.

Most of our customers were regulars. As one of the only bakeries in the neighborhood that had been running successfully for over twenty years, it made sense that we often knew the people who came in by name.

I worked with my sister, April -younger than me by two years- at the cafe every weekday over the summers from 6:00 in the morning when we opened until noon when our cousins -Robin and Daisy- clocked in. The bakery was a family business. My mom and aunt did more of the booking and keeping things while my dad and uncle did all the baking. We had been running that way since I was 18, so for about four years. It worked well, and my parents were relieved they didn’t need to get down on their hands and knees to convince April and I to keep working, even when we both moved out.

April was pretty much my best friend. It wasn’t that I didn’t have friends in college. It was just that not a lot of them lived in New York like I did. I graduated a month prior, so most of them already moved back to their hometowns. But that was fine by me, because I had April. She had been my right hand (wo)man for my whole life, and when I was with her, I didn’t need anyone else.

Except, as she would so often remind me, a boyfriend. I needed a boyfriend. Or at least  _ she _ said I needed a boyfriend. I didn’t think I needed anyone. I was quite content being romantically on my own. No one had sparked my interest in that way since high school, and as long as I had my vibrator, I didn’t need a man.

“What about for companionship?” April would always tell me.

“That’s what I have you for,” I would say back.

“Whatever,” she would say with a roll of her eyes. “I’m only gonna break your heart.”

I moved out of my parents house as soon as I turned 18, and April moved in with me two years later. We were a dynamic duo, unstoppable by anyone.

The bell above the cafe door jingled just as I was finishing Eleanor’s latte. I brought it over to her table while April greeted our customers- two boys I didn’t recognize. The first boy was shorter than the second, but not by much. They both had sharp and striking features. The arms of the first boy were more defined than the second, but his eyes weren’t as bright. In fact, his whole vibe was darker. Not the clothes he was wearing, but the impression he was giving off. His jaw was more tense, his eyes darting around more suspiciously. The second boy, however, had his eyes locked on April. And he was smiling. I, like the protective sister I was, went to join her at the counter.

“What can I get started for you boys today?” I asked. April shot me an annoyed look, but I kept my eyes on the boys. Now that I was standing right in front of them with only a counter between us, I could take in more details. The taller boy was wearing dark jeans, a white t-shirt, and a black jacket, while the shorter was wearing a white button up with his sleeves rolled to the elbows and a pair of black slacks. His eyes were dark brown, but the other’s were bright blue. I decided they weren’t brothers.

“Two black coffees,” the shorter boy said at the same time the other said, “What do you recommend?” with his eyes still on April.

“I always like the Americano,” April said, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear. It was a tell tale sign she was attracted to someone. “It’s basically espresso and hot water. It’s like black coffee but better.”

“I’m sold,” the boy said with a smile. “An Americano for me, and a black coffee for my equally bitter friend here.” He tried to clap the other boy on the shoulder, but he nudged him away with a roll of his eyes.

April rang up their orders while I poured the shorter boy some coffee. “I haven’t seen you two here before,” I said, trying to catch his eye as I handed him his drink. I was suspicious. “We usually know everyone who comes in here.” the shorter boy ignored me, but the taller gave me a smile.

“We don’t usually stop by this end of town,” he explained.

“What brings you by?” April asked, handing him the Americano.

“Just had some business to take care of,” he said. He took a sip of his drink, and his smile widened. I wasn’t sure it was possible, but there he did it before my eyes. I understood why April was charmed, but I was too annoyed with the other boy to really focus on anything else. “This is perfect,” he said, raising his cup a bit. “Thank you.”

“Anytime,” April said, the apples of her cheeks turning red. She stuck her hand out for the boy to shake. “I’m April.” She nodded her head in my direction. “This ray of sunshine is my sister, (Y/N).” I gave the boy a sarcastic smile, but he seemed unphased.

“I’m Harrison,” he said, shaking April’s hand. “This is Tom.” The boy didn’t look up from his phone as he gave me and April a wave. It made me roll my eyes again. Tom locked his phone and shoved it in his pocket.

“Let’s go, Harrison,” he said. Harrison nodded and gave me and April (mostly April) one last dazzling smile.

“I’ll be sure to stop by again sometime, April,” he said, shooting her a wink. “It was nice to meet you two.” He looked at me, and I just sent him another patronizing smile.

“You too,” April said.

Tom left the cafe, not saying a word to the rest of us, and Harrison sent us one last wave and followed. As soon as they were out of sight, April turned to me with wide eyes. “Oh my god,” she said. “Were they hot or what?”

“Oh come on,” I said, rolling my eyes. “I wouldn’t have even given them a second glance if blue-eyed boy wasn’t gaping at you the whole time.”

“ _ Harrison _ ,” she corrected with a blush. “And you’re just upset that Tom didn’t look at you.”

“I can honestly say I was not upset about that,” I said.

“Mhm,” April hummed. Knowing I wouldn’t be able to convince her otherwise, I just rolled my eyes and got back to work.

Of course she was right. Both boys were  _ hot _ , but I wasn’t interested. Harrison clearly had eyes for April, and Tom seemed like an asshole. Not my type. I hoped I’d never have to see them again.

Unfortunately, Harrison was a charmer.

He and Tom stopped by the cafe the next day as well, this time looking a bit more casual. Well, Harrison did anyway. He had swapped out his white t-shirt and black jacket for a plain red t-shirt, still with his dark jeans. Tom was still wearing black slacks and a button-up shirt, this time black instead of white. The black on black outfit would make me feel some type of way if I didn’t find his personality completely aggravating.

Tom, again, got a black coffee while Harrison opted for another Americano. April chatted with Harrison. He sat at the bar and April stood on the other side, her chin in her hand, completely infatuated with every word leaving his mouth. This left me with Tom. Tom also sat at the bar -a few seats down from Harrison to give him some privacy- but was on his phone, just as he was the day before. I didn’t know if I should strike up a conversation with him or just leave him be. The cafe was oddly empty, so I was bored out of my mind. 

Now that I thought about it, it was kind of weird that it wasn’t busy. Just as the thought entered my mind, the bell above the door rang. I looked up, eager to welcome a customer, but as soon as they entered, their eyes grew wide and they turned around and left.

_ What the hell? _

“That was weird,” I said aloud, thought I knew no one was listening.

“What was weird?” Tom asked, shocking me, but still not looking up from his phone.

“That guy just walked in and walked right out,” I said. “That doesn’t happen a lot.”

“Maybe he saw the two employees flirting with the customers and decided to turn around,” Tom said. I furrowed my eyebrows at him, feeling a surge of anger.

“First of all,” I said, “I’m not flirting with you. In fact, the mere idea that I would be flirting with you right now is  _ laughable _ considering you haven’t even  _ looked _ at me since I got here.” As if only to contradict my point, Tom locked his phone and looked up. “Second of all-” I looked at April and Harrison who were still wrapped up in their conversation and lowered my voice. “-your friend started this, so don’t act like this is all one-sided.”

“I’m not saying it’s one-sided,” Tom said. “I’m just saying you should never mix business and pleasure.”

“And I’m just saying you’re an asshole,” I muttered, turning to wipe the countertop just for something to do.

“What was that, sweetheart?” Tom said, the right side of his lip raising into a smirk.

“Oh, you’re gonna want to never call me that again,” I said, looking up at him behind squinted eyes.

“Then you’re probably never going to want to call me an asshole,” he said, still smirking. I wanted to slap that smirk right off his face.

“What would you prefer?” I asked, painting on a sarcastic smile of my own. “Conceited douchebag?”

“You think I’m conceited?” he asked with a chuckle. “Princess, you don’t even know me.”

“If you call me one more nickname, I’ll-”

“You’ll what?” he taunted. “Please enlighten me,  _ darling _ .”

“I swear to God fucking above-”

“Hey,” April said, causing Tom and I to both snap our heads in her direction. She and Harrison were both watching us. Harrison looked amused. “(Y/N), Harrison wants to know if we want to get dinner tonight.”

“Oh does he?” Tom asked, raising his eyebrow.

“He does,” Harrison said, shooting Tom a glare. “It’ll be fun. And you’re coming, too.”

“I don’t think I am,” Tom said.

Harrison let out an annoyed sigh. “Ladies, could you excuse us for a moment?” April nodded as Harrison stood up and nodded his head for Tom to follow him. Tom did, looking pissed as he did so. April looked at me with hard eyes.

“You’re going,” she said.

“I’m  _ not _ ,” I said. “And you can’t make me.”

“I think I can,” she said.

“And how do you-”

“I’ll tell Mom and Dad about Chris.”

“You  _ wouldn’t _ .”

“ _ Try _ me.”

Chris was an old family friend of my parents’, and I may or may not’ve hooked up with him a couple times.

What? He wasn’t even 40 and he was hot  and had a daddy kink . It was only a couple times, and it was over a year ago. I prided myself in keeping it a secret from my parents. I was pretty sure they thought i was still a virgin, and I had no desire to let them think any different.

“You’re a  _ bitch _ ,” I said, folding my arms across my chest.

“I learn from the best.”

At that exact moment, Harrison and Tom came back. Tom looked just as annoyed as he did before, but Harrison’s smile had grown wider. “Tonight, 7:00,” he said. He handed April a piece of paper that had an address on it. “You can meet us at that address.”

“Let me guess,” I said. “You’re sending us to a crack house where we’re gonna be raped and murdered.”

“Jesus Christ, (Y/N),” April said, slapping my arm.

“It’s our house,” Harrison said with a slight chuckle. “But if you get there and decide it’s too sketchy, feel free to turn around and ditch us.” April laughed, tucking another piece of hair behind her ear, and Harrison smiled again. “Well, we’ll see you two later,” he said. April waved him off, I sent him a sarcastic smile, and he left- Tom following behind him, not sparing us another glance.

5:00 rolled around, and April and I were both getting ready. As soon as she got out of the shower, I got in. April knocked on the door and asked if she could brush her teeth. I let her, and she asked me what I was planning on wearing. “I don’t know,” I answered. “Doesn’t really matter, does it?”

“Harrison texted me that it was a nicer place,” she told me.

“He  _ texted  _ you?” I asked, peaking my head out from behind the curtain.

“Yeah,” she said.

“When did you get his number?”

“When he asked us to dinner. It only makes sense.”

I rolled my eyes and went back to my shower. “I still don’t care what I’m wearing,” I told her.

“Well I do,” she said. “You’re going to look cute.”

“I’m going to wear jeans.”

“You are not. You’re going to wear a dress and you’re going to like it.”

“Can’t make me.”

“Chris.”

I stuck my head out from behind the curtain again. The shampoo started to drip down the side of my face. “Have I said yet that I can’t stand you?” I said. “Because I can’t  _ fucking _ stand you.” April smiled and spit the toothpaste into the sink, then left me alone in the bathroom.

When I finished my shower and went into my bedroom, I saw that April had laid out two outfits for me: one was a black dress, the other a black romper. “Gee!” I yelled to her, knowing she was in her room. “Glad you gave me options.”

“I love you!”

I decided on the romper. It was cute but also kind of sexy. Not that i wanted to look sexy for anyone in particular. Sometimes it was just nice to look sexy for myself. And that was exactly what I told April when she wolf whistled at me. She was wearing a red dress that I knew to be her  _ I’m-gonna-get-some _ dress. “If you bring him over, don’t keep me up all night,” I told her.

“I won’t make any promises,” she said with a wink.

“Ugh,” I shuddered. “I hate thinking about you having sex.”

“No one’s asking you to think about it.”

We plugged the address Harrison gave us into my phone and headed off. It was about a twenty minute drive, and it looked like it was a nicer area of town. When we pulled up to the house, I saw that I was right. Because this wasn’t a house. This was a  _ mansion _ . Once I pulled up to the gate (yes,  _ gate _ ), April and I both stared up at the house in awe. I pulled up to the intercom and was met with a voice that said, “Name?”

“Uh, I’m (Y/N),” I said. “And I’m with my sister April. We’re here to meet Tom and Harrison?” There was silence on the other end, but the gate opened and let us in. “I hate this,” I told her. “This is creepy.”

“Creepy?” April repeated. “Are you kidding? They’re rich! This is amazing!”

Harrison and Tom were waiting outside for us. I parked the car in their driveway and got out with April. She approached Harrison with a quick hug, and I trailed behind, awkwardly sending him a wave. Tom had his arms folded across his chest and looked like he wanted to be anywhere except with us. He and Harrison were both wearing the same outfit- black slacks and white button-up shirts. Tom’s sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, just like they had been the first day we met, but Harrison’s were down to his wrists. Tom’s hair was gelled smoothly, but Harrison’s was fluffier and less put-together. Those two facts alone were perfect examples of the stark differences in their personality.

“We’ll drive, yeah?” Harrison said.

“Okay!” April agreed. Harrison led us to the three-car garage and opened it. In it sat three black vehicles: a Rolls Royce, an Audi, and a Porsche. Mine and April’s jaws both dropped, and Harrison chuckled.

“Have a preference?” Harrison asked.

Before either of us could say anything, Tom said, “We’re taking the Audi.” I rolled my eyes at him, not really caring if he saw. He did. “Is that a problem,  _ princess? _ ” he asked, a smirk growing on his lips.

“Dude, I swear to god-”

“ _ Dude? _ ” Tom repeated.

“Would you prefer  _ motherfucker? _ ”

“(Y/N)!” April said, slapping my arm.Tom, however, just laughed. It was the first time I had heard the sound, and it threw me off guard. It looked like it did the same for April.

“Such a dirty mouth on such a pretty girl,” Tom said. This earned a roll of the eyes from both me and Harrison. April seemed stunned silent.

“Let’s go,” Harrison said.

The four of us got into the vehicle and headed off to the restaurant. Harrison told us the name of it, but I had never heard of it and neither had April. When we got there, it looked like a little hole-in-the-wall place. When we got inside though, it was like a whole different world. The lights were low, and the decor was fancy. Right away, I felt like I didn’t belong. We had to push through a crowd of people just to find our way to the booth Tom had reserved.

We sat down at the booth in a secluded corner of the restaurant. “Hello Mr. Holland, Mr. Osterfield,” the waiter said as he approached our table. “The usual to drink?”

“Please,” Harrison said at the same time that Tom nodded. “April, (Y/N)?” April and I both asked for waters. I was surprised with how quickly our drinks came back to us. In fact, everything happened quickly. I hadn’t noticed until we were already being handed our meals not even twenty minutes after ordering them. I swore that was a record for any restaurant I had ever been to. Tom and Harrison seemed unphased.

“What is it you guys do?” I asked them both. “Like, I don’t mean to be rude, but the big house? The fancy restaurant just for a couple of strangers? You’ve clearly got no problem throwing money around.”

“(Y/N)!” April said. She was getting annoyed with me, I could tell. At the same time, I didn’t care.

“Real estate,” Tom said.

I snorted. “Real estate? Seriously? That’s what you’re going with?” Tom shrugged and took a sip of his drink- whiskey on the rocks.

“I’m going to go touch up my lipstick,” April said, standing up from the table. “(Y/N), come with me?” It was a command, but she phrased it as a question. I rolled my eyes but followed her anyway. As soon as we were in the bathroom, she turned to me with a huff. “Will you quit being such a bitch?” she said.

“I’m not!” I said.

“Oh fuck off,” she said, rolling her eyes.

“I’m just looking out for you. I don’t trust these guys.”

“I can look out for myself.”

“I know that, but-”

“But nothing! Quit being so mean to them. They’re nice guys.”

“ _ Harrison’s _ a nice guy,” I said. “Tom-”

“I think he likes you,” she said with a shrug. As my jaw dropped, she turned to the mirror and actually started to reapply her lipstick.

“You’re kidding me, right?” I said.

She shrugged again. “You know how boys can be. They’re rude to the girls they like.”

“In  _ elementary school _ ,” I said. “Besides, what kind of  _ boys will be boys _ bullshit is that?”

“I think you should just cut him some slack,” she said. “Give him a chance. He may be a little off-putting, but you’re not exactly little-miss-sweetheart either.”

“I’m not little-miss-sweetheart because  _ assholes _ aren’t my type.”

“Give me a break.” She rolled her eyes. “You almost exclusively date assholes.”

“And I’m trying something new.”

“That’s what you said before you fucked Chris.”

“April, I swear to god-”

“I’m teasing!” she finally laughed, bumping her hip with mine. “Relax. God, you really need to get laid.”

The rest of the dinner wasn’t too painful. Tom mostly kept his mouth shut, which I was grateful for, but it felt like Harrison and April were in their own world. I didn’t want to pull out my phone because I hated when people did that, but I was getting bored. For lack of anything better to do, I started people watching. A lot of the customers were like Tom and Harrison: put together and rich looking. My eyes were currently trained on a booth across the restaurant. In it sat three men, all probably in their 30s. They were hunched over, talking to each other in hushed voices.

“It isn’t nice to stare,” Tom said, snapping me out of my thoughts.

I huffed. “Maybe if you struck up a conversation with me, I wouldn’t have to find entertainment somewhere else.”

“Conversing is a two-way street, sweets,” he said.

“Sweets?” I repeated. “That’s what you’re going with now?”

“I’m just trying things out,” he said, hiding his smirk behind his whiskey. “You haven’t been satisfied with anything else.”

“Because my name is (Y/N),” I said, my fist clenching. “It’s not that hard.”

“I’m more of a nickname kind of guy myself,” Tom said with a shrug.

“Oh?” I said. He was baiting me, I knew, but I was bored so I took it. “And what’re your nicknames?”

“I don’t have nicknames,” he said. “I go by four names and four names alone.”

“And they are?”

“Tom, Mr. Holland, sir, and boss.”

“Boss?”

“Yes?” he said, teasing me again. I rolled my eyes and drank from my water.

“Alright,” I said. “So what are Harrison’s nicknames.”

“Harrison?” Tom said, glancing at his friend before looking at me again. “H, Haz-”

“So original,” I said. Tom shrugged.

“I can’t exactly call him peaches,” he said.

“ _ God _ ,” I groaned. “If you listen to anything I say to me, let it be that I never want you to call me peaches.”

Tom chuckled. “Alright, I’ll give you that one, petal.”

“Petal?”

“Cut me some slack.”

I wasn’t having fun with him. No way.

“So I can’t give you any nicknames?” I asked.

“No you cannot,” he said.

“And what’ll you do if I do?” I asked. I hesitated, then added, “ _ Tommy? _ ” Tom’s jaw clenched, and he downed the last of the whiskey in his glass. He looked me in the eyes -they were darker than they had been all night- and licked his lips.

“If you call me that again,” he said, “I’ll make  _ sure _ you know why I go by sir.”

“Alright, I think we’re ready to go.”

April was smiling widely, clearly not aware of the conversation she just broke up between me and Tom. I, however, swallowed thickly, not having a clue how to move forward. It was as if Tom had already forgotten, because he stood up and tossed his napkin on the table. Harrison, April, and I stood up from the table as well and followed Tom out to the car.

The ride back to the mansion was silent, and I wasn’t surprised when Tom headed straight inside when we arrived. Harrison whispered something to April, and she giggled and nodded, then waved him off as he went inside. “He’s not coming back with us?” I asked, walking over to my car.

“I’m actually going to stay here with him,” she said, kicking her feet against the ground. I raised my eyebrows. “What?” she said. “It’s fine. It’s not like you’ve never had a one night stand at some other guy’s house.”

“Yeah, but those guys were  _ normal _ ,” I said.

“Listen,” April huffed, “you’ve done it, okay? You did your big sister job. Thank you. I appreciate it. Now please, just let me go. You know our SOS text.”

“Of course I know our SOS text.”

“Alright, then relax unless I send it.”

I rolled my eyes but hugged her anyway, placing a kiss to her cheek. “Be careful,” I told her. “Have fun. Be safe. I don’t want to be an aunt.”

“Jesus,” April laughed, giving me a little shove. “Go! Enjoy your wine and vibrator.”

“I will.”

I sat in the car until April was safely in the house.  _ Safely _ . Why couldn’t I shake the feeling that being with Harrison and Tom and being safe were mutually exclusive?


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> April drags (Y/N) clubbing with her, Harrison, and Tom, and (Y/N) can’t even make it through the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> pairing - mob!Tom x reader  
> word count - 4,173  
> warnings - swearing, drinking, masturbation (f)

Truth be told, I thought April would be over Harrison after she fucked him. I always forgot she wasn’t as familiar with one night stands as I was.

Not that I was familiar anymore. It had been a while.

April liked relationships, and it seemed like Harrison liked them too. The next day, Harrison dropped April off at our apartment about an hour before our shift at the cafe. She walked in all smiles with a bounce in her step. I had no idea how she was so awake so early in the morning. She always was. While I was grumbling good mornings to her until I had my cup of coffee, she was chatting as soon as she got out of bed. Just like every other morning, I rolled my eyes at her energy but smiled anyway. Seeing her happy always made me happy. I couldn’t help it.

“I take it you had a good night?” I asked her.

“The best!” she called back as she went into her bedroom. “Harrison’s so lovely, (Y/N). I really like him.”

April finished getting ready just in time for our shift, so we headed out and made our way down the street to the bakery. It was nice to live within walking distance of the place, and as long as we were together, neither of us minded the early morning walk through the streets of New York.

The first hour at the cafe was busy, as usual, but when there was a lull in customers, she dove right in to tell me about her night with Harrison. She spared me the details, which I appreciated, but she talked with such a glow that I knew she had a good time and that Harrison had treated her well.

When Harrison came in around noon with the intent to take her out for something to eat since our shift ended, I knew she was smitten. After two days? How? I was still iffy on how I felt about my gynecologist, and I had been seeing her for five years. April always did trust faster than I did.

For almost two weeks, I saw Harrison everyday. Often, because I saw Harrison, I saw Tom. Fucking Tom. I hated him. Him and his stupid button-up shirts and perfectly gelled hair and taut muscles and his _annoying ass smirk_. He would be the death of me, I knew.

Whenever Tom and Harrison came to the cafe, it was empty. If it wasn’t, it cleared out moments after they arrived. I couldn’t understand it. It was as if they had this magical power to make everyone around them vanish. Whatever it was, I hated it, because it meant I had no choice but to talk to Tom or look like a straight-up bitch. And I hated talking to Tom. He always made me mad, always called me sweetheart or babe or darling or princess or _sweets_. Who was he to call me pet names after insulting something about me?

“You need to make stronger coffee, princess.”

“Did you even warm up this muffin, sweets?”

“There’s too much ice in this, darling.”

 _Well I’m so sorry sir_ , I wanted to say to him. _While I dump out all this coffee to brew a stronger pot, throw your muffin the microwave, and remove three ice cubes from your iced coffee, would you like me to shine your shoes or suck your dick?_

The fucking _nerve_.

I made sure to support April though, because I was glad she was happy. And it really seemed like Harrison was treating her well. I just didn’t like that I had to suffer while she thrived. Yes, I considered spending time with Tom _suffering_.

Every waking moment with him made me want to blow my brains out. He was rude, arrogant, self-centered, and completely aggravating.

Then one day, Harrison came to the bakery on his own. It was the first time since he met us that he had done so, so it caught me a little off guard. “Hey, Harrison,” I said, giving him a smile. April was in the back getting a tray of muffins to replace the ones we had run out of at the counter. “Americano?” I asked.

“You know me so well,” he said back.

“You ever thought about trying something new?” I asked as he handed me a five dollar bill.

“Why ruin what’s already perfect?” he joked. I rolled my eyes and handed him his change. “Isn’t April in today?” he asked.

“She’s in the back,” I said. “She’ll be out in a minute.” The next question fell from my lips before I could second guess it. “Where’s Tom?”

Harrison grinned and ran his hand through his hair. “Missing him already?” he asked. “We were just here yesterday.”

“No,” I said, furrowing my eyebrows as I prepped his coffee. “I don’t miss him at all. Just surprised you’re not together. I’m still not entirely convinced you’re not gay lovers.”

Harrison laughed. “Surprisingly, that’s not the first time we’ve heard that.”

“Oh, I’m not surprised at all,” I said. I handed him his mug of coffee just as April came out from the back. “Harrison!” she said, her face lighting up. She put the tray of muffins down and ran around the counter. She threw her arms around him and pressed a kiss to his lips, making me fake gag. They pulled away from each other, and April rolled her eyes. “Don’t you have to be a buzzkill somewhere else?” she asked.

“Not until my shift ends,” I said, giving them both a smirk. 

“Speaking of the end of your shift,” Harrison spoke up. “I was wondering if you ladies wanted to go out clubbing tonight.”

At the same time that I said, “No thanks,” April said, “Of course.”

We both looked at each other as Harrison chuckled. “Tom’ll be there, too,” he said. “If that helps.”

“Oh actually, that does help,” I said. “That turns my _no thanks_ into a _hell no_.” April groaned and gave Harrison a tight-lipped smile.

“Give me two minutes to talk to her, yeah?” she said. Harrison smiled and nodded, then walked to the other side of the cafe where he sat at a table and drank his coffee while scrolling through his phone.

“April, I’m not going!” I said as soon as we were alone.

“You know I’ll tell-”

“I don’t even care about Chris,” I told her. “Tell Mom and Dad. Whatever. I can’t stand another _minute_ with Tom.”

“Don’t be so dramatic,” she said with a roll of her eyes.

“Oh, I will be so dramatic!” I huffed back.

“(Y/N) I’m begging you,” April whined.

“Why can’t you and Harrison just go alone?” I asked. “Why does Tom even have to go with us?”

“I don’t know,” she said with a shrug. “He once told me that one of them doesn’t go to a club without the other. It’s some dumb bro thing. And if you don’t go, you’re going to make Tom third wheel.”

“Tom third wheeling is not my problem,” I said with a shrug. “And anyway, are you sure they’re not gay? I mean, they’re attached at the hip.”

“Oh, I’m _positive_ they’re not gay.” She wiggled her eyebrows suggestively.

“Gross!” I said, giving her arm a playful shrug.

“You started it,” she laughed. I rolled my eyes. “Please (Y/N).”

“No.”

“Please?”

“No.”

“(Y/N).”

“April.”

April groaned and put her hands on her forehead. “I’ll pay you,” she said. “I’ll do anything. You can half my paycheck for three weeks. I’ll, I’ll do the dishes for a month. _Two_ months. I’ll do your laundry.”

I took a deep breath and let it out through my nose, letting my eyes wander to Harrison. He was talking on the phone now, still not looking in our direction. “Why does this mean so much to you?” I asked.

“Because I really like him,” she said, her voice lowering a bit. “And I like hanging out with him. And I haven’t been clubbing in a while, and I’d really like to go. With him.” I groaned and threw my head back. It was hard. I knew April liked to socialize, and I knew our budgets didn’t exactly allow for clubbing and nights out. If she had the opportunity to get drunk and go dancing with Harrison for free, who was I to stand in her way?

“Fine!” I caved. “Fine. But I won’t have any fun.” I looked over at Harrison. He was off the phone. “And Harrison!” I called. He looked over at us and smiled. “You have to buy all my drinks. Lord knows you can afford it.”

“Yay!” April cheered, throwing her arms around me. “Thank you, thank you, thank you!”

“Awesome,” Harrison said, walking over to us with a smile.

“I’ll pick your outfit,” April told me. “Don’t even worry about it.”

“Do you not think I’m capable of doing that myself?”

“No, I don’t.”

Around 6:30 that evening, we both started to get ready. For me, April picked out a lace, bodycon, burgundy dress- one that we both knew usually made boys fall at my feet. “You’ve got something up your sleeve for me tonight?” I yelled through the apartment as I slid on my dress.

“I just want you to keep your options open!” she called back. “You gotta look your best in case you meet the one. Or just _a_ one.”

She came into my room wearing a mauve bodycon dress, her hair curled, and her hairspray in hand. “Are all my curls good?” she asked, spinning around for me to inspect her look. I nodded, so she sprayed each hair into place. We were both ready to go by 8:00. I asked April what time we had to meet Harrison and Tom. “They’re picking us up,” she told me, looking at her phone. I groaned, and she rolled her eyes, not even looking up from her device. “And why does that upset you?”

“Because,” I huffed, “I’m going to get dropped off at the end of the night like a loser and you’re going to go back and have sex with Harrison.”

“Or you could meet a really great guy at the club and not need us to give you a ride at all,” April said. She locked her phone and smiled at me. “They’re here. Get your party face on.”

“I don’t have a party face.”

“Well you could at least pretend.”

The boys arrived in the Porsche, and Tom was driving. Harrison got out as soon as he saw us and opened the car door. He gave April us both hugs, April a kiss on the lips, and me a kiss on the cheek. I was flustered by his manners. Was his greeting abnormal, or had it really been that long since I met a decent man? I figured it was a bit of both. Tom, as expected, sat silently in the driver’s seat. “You girls both look lovely tonight,” Harrison said as he slid back into the driver’s seat.

“Doesn’t (Y/N) just look amazing?” April said, a teasing smirk on her face. “She says she hates going out, but you’d never tell by looking at her.”

“You look great, (Y/N),” Harrison said with a chuckle. “I mean, you couldn’t hold a candle to April, but-” I couldn’t help but laugh as April slapped his arm.

“Charming,” I said.

“Tom, doesn’t (Y/N) look nice?” Harrison asked, nudging Tom in the arm. Tom hummed in response and pulled onto the street.

“Don’t bother, Harrison,” I said sarcastically. “I think Tom is allergic to kindness.”

“Am I that obvious, babe?” Tom said, looking at me through the rearview mirror. I just rolled my eyes, folded my arms across my chest, and leaned back into my seat.

When we got to the club, we were let in right away, despite the line out front. “How did you do that?” April asked Harrison, hooking her arm with his.

“Who said real estate didn’t help make good connections?” he said, kissing the top of her head. She smiled and leaned her head on his shoulder as the four of us walked into the club. April might’ve been charmed, but I was suspicious.

“Do you guys own the place or something?” I asked.

“Or something,” Tom said. I knew I wouldn’t get any farther, and frankly I didn’t care enough to press, so I just turned to Harrison and April.

“You owe me a drink, Haz,” I said. “I told April you were buying tonight.”

“Haz?” he repeated, a grin on his face. “Where’d you hear that from?” I jabbed my thumb in Tom’s direction even though he was already at the bar away from us. Harrison just laughed and nodded. “As you wish. What’re you drinking?”

“Tequila lemonade?”

“You got it.”

April joined him to get the drinks while I sat alone on a couch in the area of the club they left me in. The music was loud and there were sweaty bodies everywhere dancing and grinding against each other. I people watched, as usual. Everyone was dressed for a night out- tight dresses and button-up shirts. As my eyes scanned the room, I swore I saw the same three men in a corner booth that I had seen when April and I were out to eat with Harrison and Tom a few weeks ago. I figured I must’ve been imagining it, and when they looked in my direction I looked away.

Tom made his way over to me before Harrison and April did. He handed me a drink, and I raised my eyebrows at him. “Harrison told me to give it to you,” he said.

“Oh did he?” I said. “And how do I know you didn’t drug it?” He seemed to tense the minute the words left my mouth, but I convinced myself I was wrong.

“And what would I get out of drugging your drink?” he asked. “How would that benefit me at all?”

“Look, I don’t know what sick twisted motives you have,” I said. “I’m still not entirely convinced you’re not a psychopathical rapist.”

“Okay,” Tom said slowly. “We don’t have time to unpack all of that.” I scoffed. “First, I’m pretty sure psychopathical isn’t a word. Second, I’m way more interested in fucking girls who want to fuck me back, which-” He motioned around the room. “-aren’t hard for me to find.”

“You know,” I said, “if you don’t want me to think you’re an asshole, it might help if you stopped fitting the stereotype of one.”

“Oh, I don’t care if you think I’m an asshole, sweets,” he said, sipping from his drink. I scoffed and finally took a large gulp of my drink.

“I’m going to ask you something.” I figured it was better to tell him rather than ask for permission. He seemed interested, his eyebrows raising in curiosity. “Why don’t you and Harrison ever go to clubs alone?”

“How do you know we don’t go to clubs alone?” Tom asked.

“April told me it’s a thing,” I said. “She told me it’s a bro thing.” Tom scoffed and took another drink from his glass.

“When you’ve had as many bad nights out as we have, you sort of develop a system,” he said.

“Oh?” I said. “What kind of bad nights?”

He chuckled dryly. “Sweetheart, you don’t even want to know.” I rolled my eyes.

“You're so dramatic,” I said. Tom just chuckled, and I took a long drink from my glass and scanned the crowd. Harrison and April were already dancing together, which made me sigh and bring the drink up to my lips again.

As much as I liked to argue with April and tell her I was content alone, I couldn’t help but feel a twinge of jealousy when I watched her. Maybe companionship would be nice. Also my vibrator could not replace the real thing, and I hadn’t picked up a decent guy in ages. I gave up on Tinder as soon as the sexy 26-year-old ended up being a 43-year-old hooked on cocaine. The 40-something-year-old I could handle. The lying and drugs were not my thing. Plus, I hadn’t been out clubbing in a while -not able to afford the lifestyle- so I didn’t exactly frequent any spaces popular for hook-ups.

I finished my drink and headed over to the bar to get another one, leaving Tom without a word. The bartender put my drink on Harrison’s tab, and I sat at the counter and drank it as quickly as I could. I wanted to get drunk, and I wanted to get drunk fast.

I wasn’t someone who got drunk often. Again, it wasn’t exactly a habit I could afford. All I knew was that when I was drunk, I was happy, way more carefree, and a hell of a good dancer. Or at least I had the confidence to pretend to be a good dancer. Once my drink was gone, I made my way to the crowd of people dancing and started to move to the music. I didn’t have a care in the world. As I was dancing, I let my eyes scan the crowd for potential males. Some men were staring at me, others too wrapped up in other girls to pay me any attention.

One man specifically caught my eye. He was one of the guys I had seen in the corner of the club who had looked like someone from the restaurant. He was tall, brown-haired, and had a short beard on his face. In one hand he gripped his glass, and the other was rubbing his chin as he stared at me. He wore black slacks and a black and white striped button-up loosely tucked in. I noticed an expensive watch gleaming on his wrist. Who cares if he was probably ten years older than me? I was alone, horny, and feeling him.

Just as I was about to approach him, I felt a pair of hands on my hips. Before I could turn to snap at the man who had the audacity to touch me, his lips were by my ear. “You’re not gonna want to go for that one, petal,” Tom muttered.

“And why would I listen to you?” I asked. I probably should’ve moved out of his grasp, but something about his hands on my hips made me continue dancing. I blamed the alcohol.

“There’s a lot you don’t know about me,” he said. “But you’ll just have to trust me on this one.”

“How do I know you’re not just trying to steer me away from all the guys and take me for yourself?”

Tom scoffed. “Like I said, doll. I’m not a fan of the chase. I’m much more interested in girls who fall at my feet.” He chuckled. “Preferably to their knees.” He paused, his breath fanning my neck. Did I tilt my head to show him more skin? No, of course not. I wasn’t _that_ drunk. Right? “Would you get on your knees for me, (Y/N)?” 

“I-” I let out a sigh, almost positive I felt his lips ghost across my skin. “I can’t fucking stand you.”

Tom laughed, and I felt one of his hands slide from my hip to my thigh. “Just because you can’t stand,” he taunted, “doesn’t mean you can’t kneel. Doesn’t mean you wouldn’t suck my cock. Wouldn’t _beg_ for it. Just like all the others. You’re no better than the other girls, (Y/N). Don’t try to tell yourself otherwise.”

“I would never beg for you,” I said, trying to blink away my buzz. “I don’t beg for men I hate. And I _hate_ you.”

“Believe me,” he said, a slight growl in his voice. “The feeling is mutual. I find you absolutely infuriating.”

“The way you’re asking me to suck your dick says otherwise,” I said.

“Oh, I’m not asking,” he said. “I never ask.”

“Is that supposed to turn me on?” I asked. “Because you’re basically telling me you never ask for consent.” Tom’s grip on my hips tightened.

“That’s not what I meant,” he muttered, “and you know it.”

Tom suddenly pulled away from me, so I finally turned to look at him. Honestly, I thought we were just bantering in the annoyed fashion that we both do, but he seemed actually angry. I sure as hell wasn't going to apologize, but I wondered what I had said that made a flip switch. “I’m bored,” I said to him, rolling my eyes. “And you’re a buzzkill.” I put my hand on his chest as I started to walk past him. “Tell April I’m ubering home it you see her.”

“I’m not your fucking messenger,” he said.

“Jesus,” I said, rolling my eyes. “Whatever. I’ll do it myself.”

I left Tom alone on the dance floor and found April, shouting to her over the music that I was heading back to our apartment. “Are you sure?” she asked, stepping away from Harrison. “We’ve hardly been here more than an hour.”

“I’m not feeling it,” I said, steadying myself by holding onto her shoulder.

“You had a lot to drink?” she teased.

“I put it all on Harrison’s tab,” I said. She just rolled her eyes, and I noticed Harrison smirk. “Okay,” I said, clapping her on the shoulder. “I’m gonna go. Harrison-” I clapped him on the shoulder too. “-take care of my sister.”

“Always,” Harrison chuckled. They both waved me off, so I stumbled through the club and headed outside. The Uber I ordered arrived within minutes, and I got home within a half hour. Once I was at the apartment, I stumbled inside and to my room, kicking off my shoes as I went along. I fell onto my bed, laying on my back in the middle of the mattress. I was annoyed, crabby, and so fucking horny. The whole ride home, all I could think about was-

“Stupid Tom,” I muttered to myself, tossing and turning as I laid above the covers. “Stupid Tom and his stupid, stupid fucking everything.”

His stupid face.

His stupid arms.

His stupid hands.

His stupid lips.

His stupid ass.

Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.

I pushed my dress over my hips and tugged my underwear down my legs, then reached into my nightstand and grabbed my vibrator. I was already wet. Truthfully, I had been ever since Tom touched me at the club. I was angry turned on, surely. That was a thing, right? I didn’t like him. In fact, he made me absolutely furious, but I would be lying to the world if I said I didn’t find him sexy as hell. But he made me so mad. Telling me not to go after guys. Acting like he had some magical dick.

His stupid dick. Probably big and thick and-

I turned my vibrator on the lowest setting and started teasing my clit, then moved it across my juices before easily sliding it in me. I bit my lip to stop myself from moaning and thought about Tom’s hands and how they gripped me on the dance floor, wondering how it would feel to have him gripping them as he pounded into me from behind, his lips dragging across the back of my neck, and his fingers rubbing my clit. I turned the vibrator up a setting and dragged it across my clit.

“Shit,” I muttered, using my other hand to grip my hair. I pushed the vibrator into me then, imagining how much bigger Tom’s cock probably was. Imagining him fucking me for making one too many annoying comments to him. Calling him _sir_ in the bedroom. Letting him mark me however he wanted. Letting him claim me as his. Fucking me wherever he wanted to. Touching me in public, telling me not to make a sound but secretly wanting me to so he could punish me for it later.

“Oh, Tom!” I called out, digging my head into the mattress. “Fuck!”

I turned around onto my stomach, moving my hips against the vibrator, chasing my release. My moans were muffled by my pillow, and I could feel myself getting closer and closer. I pictured Tom slamming into me from behind, spanking my ass until I came all over his cock, then him having me suck him off and swallow what he gave me. I turned the vibrator to the highest setting and pressed it to my clit, feeling my legs shake as I came and collapsed onto the bed.

I turned off the vibrator and laid on my bed, taking a moment to catch my breath. I seemed to sober up after that, realization hitting me that I just gave myself one of the best orgasms to the thought of _Tom_. I sighed in annoyance and got out of bed, hoping to wash off the shame in the shower.

“I fucking hate him.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things go south between April and Harrison, and (Y/N) is determined to get to the bottom of why.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> pairing - mob!Tom x reader  
> word count - 4,332  
> warnings - swearing, masturbation (m), guns

About another two weeks passed, and I hadn’t seen Tom at all since the night we went clubbing. Even Harrison’s visits to the bakery became more seldom, and Tom was never with him when he did walk in. Something was off, I could tell. I just had no clue what it was. April could tell something was wrong, but she was just as clueless as I was as to what it was. She’d come home from her dates with Harrison alone, which had been sun a rare occurrence at the beginning of their relationship. After only a month since she met him, I knew she was smitten, so the sudden shift in his mood threw her off and worried her. It worried me, too. I may’ve despised Tom, but I really liked Harrison, and I liked that he made April so happy. It had been a while since a guy had done that for her. Plus, he was nice and put up with my asshole-ish banter.

Just when April started to get really concerned over the fate of their relationship, Harrison asked her out to dinner on a Saturday night. I could see the relief flood across her face the minute he called her. “He sounded just like his usual self,” she said with a smile. “Must’ve just had an off few weeks.”

“Must be,” I mumbled, flicking through channels on the TV.

April sighed, “Would it kill you to be happy for me?”

“I am!” I said, snapping my head to look at her. “Swear, I am.”

“But?”

I pressed my lips into a tight line and let a heavy breath out my nose. “But two weeks is a long time to be off,” I said. “And I just hope he hasn’t been keeping something from you.”

“Always the skeptic,” she said, her smile unfaltering. She pressed a kiss to my cheek and jumped up from the couch. “I’m gonna go get ready.” I waved her off as she went to change into her clothes for her date. Finally I settled on a rerun of  _ Saved by the Bell _ that was playing on MTV. I stared at the screen, only half paying attention to what was happening.

When April came back into the room, she was dressed in a cute, simple, white romper and had her hair up in a curly ponytail. “You look cute,” I told her. “I hope I won’t see you here tonight.”

“I hope not too,” she said. “I feel like it’s been too long since I got laid.”

“When was the last time you guys had sex?” I asked her. She paused and thought.

“The night we went clubbing,” she said.

“Two weeks?” I clarified. She shrugged. “That’s a long time.”

“Not really,” she said.

“For two fairly sexual beings who are pretty much in a relationship?” I said. “That’s a pretty long time.”

“I guess,” she said. Again, she shrugged. “We’ll just break the streak tonight.”

“I’m sure you will,” I laughed. “Who could turn down a (Y/L/N) who looks as good as you?”

“No one, obviously,” she teased back.

**-**

After the night at the club, Tom was having some serious issues with Harrison’s relationship with April and (Y/N). Supportive friend could only come above boss for so long. He knew it was time to step in and say something, even if it wasn’t what Harrison wanted to hear.

When April left the house the next morning, Tom met Harrison in the kitchen. He was drinking a cup of coffee and scrolling through something on his phone. Tom got a bowl down from the cupboard and poured himself some cereal and milk before joining his friend at the table. “We need to discuss this,” Tom said. Harrison moved his phone from his face and looked at Tom with furrowed brows.

“Discuss what?” Harrison asked. Tom took a mouthful of cereal before he spoke.

“You’ve gotta break up with her.”

Harrison got angry as soon as Tom said it. Tom could tell. His jaw clenched, and he put his phone down on the table as calmly as he could. “And why the hell do I have to do that?” he asked.

“Because being with her is a mistake,” Tom said. He was going to stay calm and not lose his head. He didn’t fight with Harrison, and he wasn’t going to start that now.

“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?” Harrison asked.

“You know what that means.”

“Enlighten me,” he said, narrowing his eyes.

“You’re signing her death certificate,” Tom said. “She doesn’t know what she’s dealing with here, and bringing her into all of this is going to kill her.”

“You don’t know that!” Harrison shouted.

“I know that better than anyone!” Tom shouted back. “This is too dangerous of a business to involve anyone you care about.”

“Don’t act like you’re so high and mighty,” Harrison said.

“Meaning?”

“Meaning the walls aren’t made of paper, mate,” he said, “and any name could leave your lips when you jack off, but you choose  _ hers _ . You’re just lucky April wasn’t there when I heard you.”

_ Everything about (Y/N) drove Tom crazy. The fact that she couldn’t stand him made him unable to stand her. She had such a mouth on her, not giving a shit about what she said to him or how she came off. Most girls he knew would smooth talk their way into a one night stand, but (Y/N) didn’t want anything to do with him. And Tom was serious when he told her he didn’t like the chase. Didn’t  _ want  _ the chase. He couldn’t care less if she didn’t want him to pin her to the mattress and mark her body, or- _

_ “Shit,” he mumbled to himself. It was the night they went clubbing, and they had just gotten home. All Tom could think about was (Y/N) in that dress. The dress that hugged every curve and dipped just low enough on her chest that made him want more. He gave up on maintaining self-control and tugged his trousers and boxers down his legs. He had been hard ever since he got home, unable to think of anything except (Y/N). As he spit on his hand and gripped my cock, he thought about her ass pressed against him as they danced. _

_ Tom pictured himself slamming into her, gripping her neck and pinning her face against the mattress. She’d beg for more, beg him to fuck her harder. He’d comply, snapping his hips violently against her. _

_ “Ah fuck,” he moaned, brushing his thumb against his tip. _

_ Tom could picture her on her knees, sucking him off. She’d look up at him, her eyelashes fluttering against her cheeks. He would grip her hair tightly and force her to take all of him, letting her gag on his cock. _

_ “Shit, (Y/N).” Tom squeezed his eyes shut, bringing his other hand down to cup his balls. “Fucking hell, baby.” _

_ He would cum all over her face, getting some of it on her tongue so she could have a taste. Then he’d snap a picture so he’d never forget how fucking gorgeous she was after he used her however he wanted to. _

_ “Jesus, fuck (Y/N)!” Tom came across his own chest, not stopping his hand movements until he was fully spent. His chest heaved as he caught his breath. Was it possible to hate someone  _ and _ want to fuck them this badly? _

“You had no right you fucking-”

“It’s not like I put my ear up to the fucking door!” Harrison shouted, throwing his hands in the air. “I was walking down the stairs, and you’re loud as shit.”

“Just because I’d fuck her doesn’t mean-”

“Do you send Paddy off to check up on all the girls you just want to fuck?” Harrison asked. Tom’s jaw clenched tighter. “What are you making that kid do that for?”

_ After the four of them went to dinner, Tom felt like something was off. He knew Mackie had some of his people -he only recognized Stan and Duke, but there was a third guy he didn’t quite see- watching them, and he couldn’t help but feel a bit uneasy over it. He called Paddy into his office and had him sit in front of him. Paddy wasn’t officially in the family yet -he was just a few months short of 16 when he’d be initiated- so Tom figured he’d give him a task he didn’t want the others to know about. Plus Tom had always had a soft spot for his youngest brother, and he knew he was itching to join the business. _

_ “I just need you to check up on some people for me,” Tom explained to Paddy. “There’s no threat on you, I just need you to go see them and make sure Mackie’s not on them.” _

_ “Okay,” Paddy said with a nod. “Who are they?” _

_ “Their names are April and (Y/N) (Y/L/N),” Tom said. “They work at Bake and Brew downtown. Just-” He gave Paddy a handful of cash. “-get yourself a coffee and a sweet or something and sit there for a while. Let me know if anything seems wrong.” _

_ “Alright,” Paddy said. He stood up to leave the room, but stopped in the doorway. _

_ “Is there something you need?” Tom asked him. Paddy turned to look at him. _

_ “Why do you need me to check on them?” he asked. “Who are they?” _

_ If anyone else had questioned an assignment, there would’ve been consequences but, as stated, Tom had a soft spot for his youngest brother. So, he approached him calmly and clapped him on the shoulder. “Never ask questions,” Tom told him. “I’ll always tell you everything you need to know.” Paddy stood up straighter. _

_ “Okay, boss,” he said. Tom cracked a bit of a grin and squeezed his shoulder. He turned to leave again, but Tom let out a sigh that made him stop. _

_ “Just a couple girls I’ve gotten to know,” Tom said, “and I’d like to make sure nothing happens to them.” _

_ Paddy nodded and, without another word, was gone. _

“Paddy needs experience before initiation,” Tom said.

“Spying on the girl you like isn’t  _ experience _ , Tom, and you know that,” Harrison said. “You’re sending him off to do that because you didn’t want me or Harry or Sam to know that you  _ care _ about her.”

“That’s enough!” Tom shouted, standing up from the chair. Harrison did the same. “You end it with her,  _ now _ .”

“I can do whatever I fucking want,” Harrison said.

“You’d do good to remember who you’re speaking to right now,” Tom said, his eyes narrowing and his voice lowering.

“You don’t scare me, Tom,” Harrison said.

“By keeping her around, you’re putting everyone in danger!” Tom said. “Not just her, you know that right? If Mackie knows about them, or if you ever put your guard down because of her, you risk everyone’s life. I won’t put up with you being  _ selfish _ because you think you love her.”

“If you think Mackie knows, then why did you send Paddy to see them?”

“I’m not discussing this any further.”

“If you think Mackie’s got people on her, then you knowingly put him in danger,” he said. “Talk about signing a death certificate. And for your own family too. I thought family meant more to you than-”

Tom cut Harrison off by pushing him against the wall and delivering a punch to his jaw. He groaned, and Tom took his shock as an opportunity to hit him in the gut. Harrison retaliated soon enough and hit Tom across the cheek. They were only fighting for a few minutes before Harry and Sam came in and pulled them apart. “What the fuck is going on?” Sam asked, holding Harrison back.

“Tom’s an asshole, that’s what’s going on!” Harrison shouted.

“Harrison’s forgetting that I’m the one in charge!” Tom shouted back. “I should kill you for laying hands on me!”

“You laid hands first!” Harrison spat.

“Commandment number four!” Harry shouted, getting a better grip on my shirt. “Number four!”

_ Holland Family Commandment number four: no fighting among members. _

“I’m the fucking  _ boss _ around here!” Tom said. “I can break whatever goddamn commandment I want!”

“That’s not how we do things here, and you know that,” Harry said. The four of them were quiet, only their heavy breathing filling the room. “Whatever the fuck just happened here, you two need to sort it out,” he said. “I’m not mopping either of your blood off the floor.” Harry and Sam let go of Tom and Harrison and left them alone again. Tom clenched his jaw and ran his hands through his hair.

“We’re cutting them both off,” he said. “You break up with her, now.”

Harrison sighed. “At least give me time. I can’t spring it on her like that.” Tom pinched the bridge of his nose.

“Two weeks,” he compromised. “Two weeks, and you end it.”

“Fine,” Harrison agreed. “But if I find out you’ve been protecting (Y/N) and leaving April to fend for herself, I’ll-”

“You’ll what, Harrison?” Tom asked. “You’ll what?”

Harrison left the room in silence.

Tom knew he needed to blow off some steam, so he went back to his room, changed into some gym clothes, and headed to their gym in the basement. He wrapped his fists and headed over to the punching bags. Even though most of his business was done with his hand on a gun, it was nice to have good hand-to-hand combat skills as well. He had yet to really need to use them, but he was always glad he had them under his belt. Besides, boxing was a nice way to get out his anger out when he didn’t want to actually hurt someone else.

Most of the time, Tom  _ didn’t _ want to hurt other people. Hell, most of the time he didn’t want the  _ job _ . When a job like that is handed to you, though, you can’t exactly turn it away. Tom just tried to make it his own and work with his set of morals. That isn’t to say that his morals hadn’t changed since getting the job. He was much more fond of the whole “an eye for an eye” than he was before. Still, that wasn’t to say that he enjoyed it. He just was much more passionate about what it meant. You mess with his people, he messes with yours. It seemed only fair, and in his business, fair is the name of the game. It may not seem that way, but it is. Tom didn’t like to do anything to someone that they didn’t have coming.

Tom started rhythmically punching the bag in front of him, grunting each time his fist hit the fabric. He wasn’t picturing anything in particular, but his mind was wandering to his conversation with Harrison. He didn’t have feelings for (Y/N). Feelings made you weak, and you couldn’t be weak with his job. Plus, the more people you care about, the more people the enemy can hurt. The last thing he wanted was to drag anyone into this business who didn’t belong or didn’t want it. That’s all he was doing by telling Harrison to leave April. He knew what it was like to get thrust into this life, and he didn’t want that for anyone else. Not if he could help it.

Paddy was different. Did Tom want that life for him? No. Was it part of his destiny? He supposes so. It ran in their family’s blood. Plus, it seemed like it was what he wanted. While Paddy and Tom were similar in a lot of ways, they were complete opposites in the way they handled the business. Not yet in it, Paddy looked at it all with wide eyes and an eager mind. Tom looked at it through the lenses of reality and experience. When he was Paddy’s age, he looked at it with fear. It wasn’t what he wanted, but it was what he was destined to have. At least Paddy was looking forward to it. Tom did wish that he could keep Paddy away from it. Save at least one Holland from a likely untimely demise.

**-**

I was already watching a movie on my laptop in bed when April came home at 9:00. “You’re home early,” I called when I heard the front door open and close. She didn’t say anything back, so I closed my laptop and sat up a bit straighter. “April?” I called.

Just when I was about to get out of bed and check on her, she came to my door. I could tell straight away that she had been crying. “What’s going on?” I asked, moving my laptop to my nightstand and opening my arms for her to come lay with me. She did, all but running over and jumping onto my bed.

“Please don’t say  _ I-told-you-so _ ,” she said, her voice muffled because it was pressed against my stomach.

“I won’t, I won’t,” I said, brushing my fingers through her hair. “What happened?”

“He dumped me!” she cried.

“Oh, April,” I sighed. “I’m so sorry.”

“He told me he just didn’t see us working out,” she said. “I don’t know what happened! I thought we were working out fine.”

“Was that all he said?” I asked. “That’s hardly a reason at all. Sounds like a cop out.”

“He said-” She sniffed. “-some bullshit thing about not mixing business and pleasure.” I froze. “It didn’t even make any sense,” she continued. “He was just stringing a bunch of words together.”

“He really said that?” I asked.

“Mhm,” April hummed. “Feel so stupid.”

I sighed. “Please don’t cry,” I said, placing a kiss to the top of her head. “I can’t stand to see you cry, and he’s definitely not worth it.”

“I really really liked him, (Y/N),” she said. “I just want to know what I did wrong.”

“I know, hon,” I sighed. “I’m sorry.” She sniffed and reached for my laptop.

“What were you watching?” she asked.

“ _ The Hangover _ ,” I told her. She opened up my laptop and pressed play on the movie, getting under the covers beside me.

I could hardly concentrate on the film anymore. Maybe I was wrong, but this break-up felt like it had  _ Tom  _ written all over it. The whole  _ mixing business and pleasure _ thing were his exact words that I had heard before. April leaned her head on my shoulder and cuddled up to me. It reminded me a lot of how we were when we were kids. April and I were always close, and we never went through phases where we couldn’t stand each other. I always let her borrow my clothes, and we only fought over stupid things that we treated as more of a joke than anything else. From day one, I was always willing to do anything for her. This whole situation would be no different.

The next morning, I woke up before April did and got ready for my day. It was around 9:00, and I had plans. I had a mission with one goal: confront Tom Holland and call him out for the asshole he was. By the time I was showered and ready to go -around 10:00- April was still sleeping. I placed a kiss to her forehead and headed out. It was better if she didn’t know what I was up to anyway. The last thing she would want would be me meddling.

I drove to Tom and Harrison’s house and was a little confused when the gate was open. Confused, but relieved. I wasn’t sure they’d let me in if I said, “I’m here to destroy Tom Holland.”

I parked the car and stormed up to the front door, then pounded my fist against the wood. “Tom!” I shouted. “Open this fucking door right now!” I kept knocking until, finally, the door opened. Tom was not who was on the other side, though, nor was it Harrison. The boy looked a little bit younger than me and bared a striking resemblance to Tom. I figured they had to be related. “Where’s Tom?” I asked, putting my hands on my hips.

“He’s busy right now,” the boy said, his face showing no expression.

“I don’t care,” I said. “I need to speak to him.” Ignoring the boy’s protests, I pushed past him and into the house. “Tom!” I shouted, trying to focus instead of gaping at the beautiful interior of the house. Just when I was going to yell his name again, I walked into the man in question.

“What are you doing here?” he asked, wiping his hands on his trousers as he walked down the fancy staircase.

“I’m here to tell you you’re a fucking  _ asshole _ , that’s what I’m doing here,” I snapped.

“I can’t do this right now,” he said, pinching the bridge of his nose. “You need to leave.”

“Like hell I do,” I said. “Is this what you meant by that bullshit phrase  _ don’t mix business and pleasure _ ? Forcing Harrison to dump my sister? Where the hell do you get off?”

“I’m not telling you this again,” Tom said. “You need to leave.”

“No!” I said. “You and me are gonna sit down and have a conversation about this.” I pushed past him and walked further into the house, ready to sit somewhere so I could give him a piece of my mind. “I’d love to hear whatever pathetic excuse you can come up with for making Harrison break my sister’s heart. Because right now-”

I froze mid-step, mid- _ sentence _ , and stared at the scene in front of me.

In the center of the room was a person,  _ covered  _ in blood, slumped over in a chair. Harrison’s fists were coated in blood, and there was another boy standing beside him pointing a  _ gun  _ at the bloody body. I covered my mouth with my hand and took a step back. “What, what the fuck?” Harrison and the boy turned to look at me. Harrison’s eyes grew wide, and the other boy -who had to have been the twin of the boy who answered the front door- looked at Tom, confused. “What’s going on?” I asked. For some reason, I was more angry than I was afraid. “What did you do? What the hell are you doing?”

“What is she doing here?” Harrison asked, ignoring me. The boy who let me into the house entered the room then, and Harrison looked at him. “We told you not to let anyone in.”

“She got past me,” the boy said with a shrug.

“Yeah, and I’m sure you put up a big fight,” Harrison said with a roll of his eyes.

“Someone better tell me what the  _ fuck  _ is going on,” I said, shouting to get my point across. The boy who was holding the gun suddenly turned and pointed it at me. “Jesus fuck!” I said, flinching and holding my hand up in front of my face (as if that would stop a bullet).

“Just say the word, boss,” the boy said.

“Boss?” I said, looking around for someone else -perhaps an  _ actual  _ adult- I might not‘ve seen before.

“Well we’re not  _ killing  _ her!” Tom said, prompting the boy to lower his gun. Boss? Tom?  _ That’s  _ what he meant by that nickname?

“You’re the one who says if anyone walks in on shit they’re not supposed to see-”

“I know what I say!” Tom snapped, cutting him off. “But now I’m saying something different. We’re not killing her.” The boy lowered his gun with a roll of his eyes and held it loosely between his fingers.

“Tom,” I said, “I swear to God above if you don’t tell me what the fuck is going on-”

“Sam!”

The boy with the gun -Sam, I figured- turned to look at Harrison when he called his name, but it was too late. The bloody man -who was in fact  _ not  _ dead  _ or  _ unconscious- grabbed Sam’s gun and pointed it at me and Tom. Tom acted quicker than I could even process what was happening. He reached behind him, grabbed a gun that was shoved in his pants, pointed it at the guy, and shot him. The person went limp, the gun falling from his hand. I covered my mouth with my hand and felt my legs start to shake. “You just-” I inhaled sharply. “You just  _ killed  _ him.”

“Before he killed me first, yeah,” Tom said, running his hand through his hair. He looked at me for the first time, and I noticed his demeanor shift a bit. “Hey, are you okay?”

“Wow, look who has a heart under all that blackness,” I said. “No, I’m not okay. You just fucking  _ killed  _ someone. I-” Everything started to catch up to me, and I knew I was about to be sick. “Where’s-” I took a deep breath. “Where’s the bathroom?” Tom and Harrison both pointed to a room behind us, so I pushed Tom and ran out of the room

“But (Y/N), just so you know there’s-”

I ignored Tom and pushed the door open. It was a mistake, obviously. The sink in the bathroom was covered in blood, and there was a knife next to it. I collapsed to the ground and threw up in the toilet. This was too much. No way was this happening. This was a dream. A  _ nightmare _ . A sick, twisted nightmare that I was going to wake up from.

Tom slowly opened the bathroom door and walked in, leaning his back against the counter and folding his arms across his chest. I threw up again. “What is this?” I asked, finally catching my breath. “The fucking mob?” I was being sarcastic, but Tom’s silence made another wave of nausea hit me.

I was going to wake up, I was sure of it.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tom and Harrison let April and (Y/N) in on their secret lives, April and (Y/N) have a heart-to-heart, and (Y/N) can’t handle her house arrest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> pairing - mob!Tom x reader  
> word count - 4,190  
> warnings - swearing

Tom sighed and crouched down beside me, gathering my hair into his hands and holding it back for me. I pushed him away and caught my breath again. “Don’t fucking touch me,” I spat. “You just murdered someone. I don’t want you anywhere fucking near me.”

“Did you not see his gun pointed at us?” Tom snapped. “I just saved your life.”

“And what, I’m supposed to thank you?” I said.

“This is exactly why I told Harrison to break up with April!” he said. “Don’t you see that I’m trying?”

“Trying to what?”

“Trying to keep you two out of this!” he said. “I told Harrison not to associate with April, and he ignored me! That’s why, yes, you’re right, I don’t mix business and pleasure. Can you fucking get that now?”

“Do not yell at me like I’m the one who’s in the wrong here!” I said. “You’re a fucking mob boss!”

“This is fucking ridiculous,” Tom said, almost laughing. “I save your life, and I get a lecture.”

Harrison came into the bathroom then, his hands no longer coated in blood. “We called the guys to get the body,” Harrison mumbled. I swallowed, not wanting to get sick again.

“Great,” Tom said.

“I’m going to get April,” Harrison said.

“What?” Tom and I said.

“Why?” Tom added.

“I’m not going to let them live on their own!” Harrison shouted, throwing his arms in the air. “I broke it off with April, and now it’s all just gotten worse instead of better. If we leave them alone, they’ll die, and you know it.”

“Well then-” Tom shrugged. “-let them.”

“You can’t be fucking serious,” I said.

“Look, it’s not my fault they’re roped into this!” Tom said. “They’re not my responsibility. When I said break it off, I meant  _ permanently _ .” A cord seemed to snap in Harrison then, because he grabbed Tom by the collar and picked him up from the ground, slamming him against the wall.

“Everyone is so fucking violent,” I muttered, rubbing my temples.

“It's about time you start sharing this responsibility,” Harrison said, his voice low. “Because maybe it’s my fault that all this started, but  _ you’re  _ the one who made me break up with April, and  _ you’re _ the reason  _ she’s _ here.”

“I’m going to give you five seconds to get your hands off of me,” Tom said.

Harrison scoffed. “We’ve already had this fight, mate. I don’t care anymore, alright? You can play the tough guy all you want with the others, but you know better than to try and fool me. Don’t forget who was there when this all started. When you got the call that-”

“Don’t finish that fucking sentence,” Tom said. His voice was even lower than it had been earlier. Harrison let go of Tom with a shove. He and Tom looked at each other for a moment, almost like they were communicating with their eyes. Finally, Harrison turned away and crouched down beside me.

“I don’t want to stay here,” I told him. I could almost feel Tom roll his eyes.

“Listen to me,” Harrison said. His voice was gentle, but firm. “We are the only people who can keep you safe now. Okay? Do you understand?”

“What’s happening?” I asked.

“You and April are compromised,” he said. “They’ve seen us all together.”

“Who, who’s they?” I asked.

“Another mob family,” Harrison said. 

“But why does that matter?” I pressed. “Why does it matter if they know who we are?”

“Because now you’re connected to us,” he said. “And since you’re connected to us, you’re connected to all this.”

“I don’t want-”

“It doesn’t matter what you want,” Harrison said. “Okay? It doesn’t matter anymore. From now on, you need to trust us.” I clenched my jaw and let my eyes dart over to Tom. Harrison sighed. “Trust  _ me _ , okay?”

I pressed my lips into a tight line and nodded. “Okay. Go get my sister.” Harrison nodded and reached out his hand to help me off the ground.

“It’s all going to be okay,” he told me, putting his hands on my shoulders. “Eventually it’ll all blow over. You just have to stay here for a while so we can watch over you.” I nodded again. “And I’ll have April pack you some stuff, just for the time being. Eventually you can go back with one of us and pack some more things. I just want her here as soon as I can get her.”

“Yeah,” I breathed out. “So do I.”

“Do you want to take a shower?” Harrison asked me. “Try and relax a bit?”

“Yeah,” I said. “Sure. Yeah. That’d be nice.”

Harrison looked at Tom. “Take her to the guest room?”

“You’re giving me orders now?” Tom asked, folding his arms across his chest.

“Jesus, just do it?” Harrison said, though his voice raised as if it was a question. “Please. I’m not asking much.” Tom let out a heavy sigh but nodded his head for me to follow him. I spared one last look at Harrison before I walked after Tom.

“We only have one extra room,” Tom explained to me as we walked back towards the entrance of the house. “So you and April will have to share.”

“Yeah,” I scoffed. “Somehow I don’t see her sharing with  _ me _ .” Tom let a breath out of his nose, and I assumed it was a laugh.

“Uh, I’ll have to go grab you a towel and soap and stuff,” he said, scratching the back of his neck. “So I’ll be right back.” I nodded and decided to sit on the bed while I waited for him. My phone was in my hand, and I felt like a part of me was waiting for an SOS text from April. I got nothing. Tom came in a few minutes later with a towel, some shampoo, and shower gel. I mumbled a thank you, and he nodded and left me alone. Once he was gone, I went into the bathroom and got in the  really nice shower. The water felt nice and soothing, and I tried not to think about the weird and creepy and scary and fucked up situation I was in.

The knock at the bathroom door made me jump. “Uh, (Y/N)?” It was Tom. The door cracked open, and Tom stuck his head in. I could tell he was trying exceptionally hard not to look at me. “I, I realized you don’t have any clothes so I grabbed you some. I’ll just-”

“You can put it on the counter,” I said.

“Right,” he said with a nod. “Exactly. Yeah. Okay.”

I couldn’t help but roll my eyes. Was this mob boss  _ uncomfortable? _ Wow. What a concept.

Tom left the bathroom again, so I finished up my shower and got out, wrapping a towel around my body. I slipped on the underwear and bra I had been wearing then tugged on -what I assumed were- Tom’s blue checkered pajama bottoms and grey t-shirt. The shirt hung low on me and I had to tighten the drawstrings of the pants, but it worked. Since I didn’t have a hairbrush, I threw my hair into a bun. Just as I walked out of the guest room, I heard the front door open, and April’s voice ring through the halls. As soon as she saw me, she ran over to me and threw her arms around me in a hug.

“Are you okay?” she asked, putting her hands on my cheeks. “Harrison told me what happened.”

“I’m okay, I’m okay,” I said. “It’s okay. Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” she said. “I packed some stuff for you-” She lifted my suitcase that she was carrying. “-like some clothes and make-up and your phone charger and laptop and  _ Pride and Prejudice _ . It was on your nightstand so I assumed you’re in the middle of it.”

“You’re the best,” I told her. “Thank you.” Harrison had left us alone in the hallway, so I gave her a small smile. “So what’s going on with Harrison?”

She shrugged. “He told me that Tom told him to break up with me. I was mad at Tom at first, but all things considered, I guess I get why he said it.”

“He still shouldn’t have said it,” I said.

“That’s true,” April said with a nod, “but I understand what his intentions were.”

“Why’re you so nice?” I mumbled, folding my arms across my chest. “If I were you, I’d be pissed.”

“And that’s why you came here to fight my battle for me, right?” she said, a teasing glint in her eyes.

I pursed my lips. “Maybe.” April laughed and threw her arm over my shoulder.

“Show me where the bedroom is,” she said. “We can drop our stuff off, and then Harrison wants to talk to us both.”

“About what?” I asked.

She shrugged. “I assume about what’s going to happen next.”

We went into the great room where, as expected Harrison, Tom, Sam, and the other boy (whose name I didn’t know yet) were waiting for us. Harrison gave us both a small smile when we walked in and nodded his head for us to sit down. We both did, sitting on the couch in front of the boys who were all standing like they were about to do a presentation for school. “Okay,” Harrison said. “Have you both met Harry and Sam?”

“Yeah, of course,” I said sarcastically. “Sam, the one who almost shot me, and Harry, the one who let me into the house.”

“She’s a pleasure, isn’t she?” Sam said with a roll of his eyes.

“Can we just get to the point?” April said. “What the hell is going on? I need the full story.”

“There’s no story,” Tom said.

“I think there is!” April said, raising her voice. I squeezed her shoulder to try and calm her down. It wasn’t like her to get worked up over stuff. That was usually my job. “You-” She pointed at Tom. “- _ shot _ someone after you-” She pointed at Harrison. “-had clearly just been  _ assaulting _ him.”

“Why do both of you keep glossing over the fact that Tony was gonna kill us first!” Tom asked. “It was self-defense.”

“Yes, but the question still remains  _ why? _ ” April said. “Why is all this happening?”

“Because we’re in the fucking mob,  _ obviously _ ,” Tom said, throwing his hands up in the air. “I thought that was pretty fucking obvious.”

“Nothing about this situation is obvious!” April said. “This is, nothing about this is normal!”

“Okay,” Harrison said, sitting beside April to lay a comforting hand on her back. “What do you want to know?”

“I, I don’t know,” April said, putting her face in her hands.

“Why are we roped into this?” I asked. “That’s where I’m still confused. Just because we  _ know _ you?”

“They saw us out for dinner,” Harrison said. “And the day went clubbing.”

“Who’s  _ they? _ ” I asked.

“Another mob family,” Harrison said. “And we don’t go out for dinner or clubbing with people on the regular. They deducted that if you were spending time with us, you mattered to us in some form or fashion. And since you matter to us, you can be used as leverage.”

“See, that’s where this all goes to shit,” I said. “Because I  _ don’t _ matter to you. So I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time?”

“I guess if you want to put it that way,” Harrison said, scratching the back of his neck.

“This is such bullshit,” I mumbled. “So this has nothing to do with what I just saw?”

“No,” Harrison said. “We had a hunch they were following you for a while. I’ve been wanting to keep a closer eye on you for a while. Tom here-” Harrison shot him a glare. “-didn’t think there was a need.”

“Wait, well, what do you mean by leverage?” April asked, backtracking a bit. Harrison licked his lips then let out a sigh.

“They can use you to get to us,” he said.

“What, like kidnap us?” I asked. Harrison nodded slowly.

“That’s the idea,” he said. “Which is why you’re here. If you live here, we can watch over you and make sure that doesn’t happen.”

“What about when we go to work?” I asked. “Or, or if I want to go home? Or go out? Can’t I do any of that on my own anymore?”

Harrison looked at Tom who hadn’t said anything in a while. Tom was standing with his arms folded across his chest by the sliding glass door that faced outside. Harrison continued, “I don’t like the idea of either of you so much as walking down the street alone. So, until this all blows over, either Tom, Harry, Sam, or I will accompany you everywhere. Home, work, shopping, all of it.”

“That’s bullshit!” I said, throwing my hands in the air. “I don’t want a bodyguard.”

“Jesus Christ!” Tom shouted, making all of us look at him. “Did you not listen to a fucking word he just said? If someone isn’t with you, Mackie’s guys will not hesitate to do something to you. So you either risk getting yourself  _ killed _ or deal with the fact that we are all in a situation we don’t want to be in, and this is the best way to solve it.”

“I assume Mackie is the other family,” April whispered to me, and I nodded to let her know I thought the same. I looked at Harrison.

“You said until this blows over,” I said. He nodded. “When is that going to be?”

“There’s no way to know,” Harrison said. “It could be next week, could be next month.”

“How do we know when it’s over?” April asked.

“Once we see that you’re no longer being followed.”

“How are you positive we’re even being followed?” April pressed.

“We had someone check on you,” he said. “Some guys were outside the cafe. The same guys who followed us to dinner and the club.”

“The same guy who was gonna pick (Y/N) up,” Tom mumbled. I looked at him with raised eyebrows.

“I’m sorry, what?” I asked.

“At the club,” Tom said, running a hand through his hair. “You were gonna chat up Stan. I saw him, him eyeing you, so I went up to you before he had the chance to do anything.”

“So  _ that’s _ why you came up to dance with me?” I said.

“Why else would I dance with you?” Tom quipped.

“Oh fuck off,” I said with a roll of my eyes.

“Stan, really?” Harrison said, scrunching up his nose like he just smelled something bad.

“His name is  _ Stan? _ ” April said, turning on me as well. “What, was he like 50 years old?”

“I didn’t know his name was Stan!” I said defensively.

“It’s his last name,” Harrison said. “First name’s Sebastian.”

“Ah, that’s better,” April said, holding her hand up to high five me. I did without even looking at her.

“You should’ve seen him, too,” I said. “Nice, tall drink of water. Facial hair,  _ bright _ blue eyes, and I swear his arms-”

“Okay, we’re done with that,” Harrison said with a slight laugh. April grinned and placed a kiss to his cheek.

“Okay, okay,” I said, waving my hands in the air. “I just want to make sure we’re all on the same page. April and I got roped into the fucking  _ mafia _ life, I saw someone get  _ murdered _ , and now we have to live here for an unknown amount of time so that we don’t  _ die? _ ”

“That about sums it up,” Sam said, speaking up for the first time as Harry nodded beside him.

“Okay, yeah, yeah, that all makes perfect sense,” I said sarcastically. “Yeah. This is just a normal life we live now. Great.”

“So are you going to bitch about it for the rest of the time here or-”

“Jesus, Tom,” Harrison mumbled, running his hand through his hair. “Give her a break.” Tom let out a heavy sigh and left the room, and I thought I heard him mumble something about  _ lines _ as he walked away.

“What fucking day even is it today?” I asked, rubbing my temples.

“Sunday,” Harrison said.

“Okay,” I said. “April and I work tomorrow at 6:00. Who’s gonna take us?”

“Don’t know yet,” Harrison said. Then he sarcastically added, “Do you have a preference?”

“Oh, is it obvious?” I said back with a patronizing grin. “I’m desperate for Tom to sit in the cafe and ruin my day.”

“Perfect,” Harrison said. “I know he wants the same thing.”

The rest of the day went by painlessly. I spent most of the day in “my room” while April hung out with Harrison. Harry showed me how to work the Netflix on the TV in the room, so I flicked through titles until I settled on marathoning  _ Parks and Recreation _ for the second time.

Harry was nice. Probably the nicest Holland I had met. Sam was clearly unsure of our presence, so he didn’t really talk much to me or April. Then there was Tom who, obviously, was the worst.

Before I went to bed, April knocked on the bedroom door. “Yeah?” I called. She stuck her head in and gave me a smile.

“How’re you doing?” she asked, walking over to the bed and sitting beside me.

“Shouldn’t I be asking you?” I said. “Considering I’m the big sister?”

“Well, I have Harrison,” she said with a shrug and a playful grin. “I’m  _ clearly _ okay.”

“Yeah, yeah, don’t rub it in,” I said. “But I’m okay. Aside from the fact that I’m mad, I’m okay.”

“You can’t spend this entire time angry,” she said. “It’s going to be a long few days-”

“Or  _ months _ ,” I said. “ _ Months _ April. Think about that.”

“I don’t mind,” she said.

“Okay, okay, consider this,” I said, sitting up a bit and turning to face her. “Pretend you weren’t into Harrison-”

“Impossible.”

“April.”

“Sorry.”

“Pretend,” I repeated, emphasizing the word, “you weren’t into Harrison and we were in this situation. Would you still be this chill about all of this?”

She shrugged. “I guess not.”

“Exactly,” I said. “So try and put yourself in my shoes and understand why I’m a little upset about this.”

April sighed. “Alright, I’m sorry.” She cuddled next to me, and I relaxed a bit and ran my fingers through her hair. I was deep in thought as I nibbled my lower lip a bit. “Can I be honest for a second?” I asked.

April looked up at me. “Always.”

“I don’t mean to sound like a bitch,” I said, “so I’m sorry if I come across this way.”

“What’s up?” she pressed, furrowing her eyebrows.

I sighed. “It felt kind of shitty when Harrison and Tom came in that day. I could see right away how it was all going to go down, cuz it always goes down the same way.”

“What do you mean?”

“You know,” I scoffed. “You always catch people’s eye first. I could tell the minute they walked in that Harrison didn’t even see me. And Tom-” I snorted. “-didn’t even look up from his phone. But don’t get me wrong,” I added quickly. “You and Harrison are super cute, and I’m obviously happy that you’re happy. And-” I sighed. “-it absolutely pains me to say this, but you’re right. I’m getting -I don’t know-  _ lonely _ I guess, and I don’t know how to fix it when no one gives me a second glance.”

“Babe,” April said with a frown. “That’s not true.”

“You don’t-” I laughed. “-you don’t have to, like, try and make me feel better. It’s alright.”

“I didn’t know you felt this way,” April said. “Why didn’t you ever-”

“Oh, come on,” I said. “What am I supposed to say?  _ Hey April, if you could stop being so cute and nice and bubbly, that would be great because I’m admittedly very lonely and guys are too attracted to your amazingness to look at me _ ?”

“I, I don’t know,” April said, looking up at me. “I guess I just feel bad.”

“Don’t,” I said. “Honestly, I just needed to vent. I don’t mean anything by it at all. I’ve just been denying it to you for a while, and I think I needed to say it out loud. Maybe that’s another reason why I’m a little mad. I’m mad because you can be kind of happy in this situation because you have Harrison to lean on, but I’ve got no one.” April nudged my arm a little bit and gave me a small smile.

“You’ve got me,” she said. “You’ve always got me.”

There was a knock at my door, so I yelled, “Come in,” to whoever was on the other side. Harrison stuck his head in and gave us a smile.

“Just wanted to make sure you settled in alright,” he said.

“I’m fine, thanks,” I said, smiling back at him. I nudged April in the shoulder. “Go on,” I said. “I’ll see you in the morning.”

“Are you sure?” she asked.

I nodded. “Seriously. Go.”

“Alright,” she said. She kissed my forehead and ruffled my hair with a smile. “See you in the morning.”

When April and Harrison left, I rolled over onto my stomach and pressed my face against my pillow. Why did I say all of that to her? I just had so much on my mind. I mean, hell, I just saw a man get murdered. And now I had to live with Tom who stressed me the fuck out. I hated him, but, if I was being honest with myself, I think I hated him because he hated me first. He came into the cafe barely giving me a second glance, and then when he did, he was a dick. What had I done wrong? Exist in his space? That seemed unfair.

According to April though, I had a tendency to shut people out. We had gotten into a few arguments about it, usually when she tried to set me up with someone and I “ruined it” or “didn’t give them a chance.” Her theory was that I rejected people before they had a chance to reject me, but I denied it. I just didn’t want to waste my time with people who weren’t worth it.

Did that make sense? I was so tired, I wasn’t even following my own train of thought.

I turned onto my side and pulled the covers over my shoulders. There was a part of me that still believed I was living a nightmare and would be waking up any moment.

Instead, the next morning I woke up in the same life I had somehow found myself living. How unfortunate.

Harry was the one who ended up going to work with us. He didn’t make much conversation, which was fine with me. He, at least, unlike Tom, didn’t give off such an asshole vibe.

The shift dragged on, and we weren’t visited by Tom or Harrison at all. Harry sat in the corner of the cafe drinking coffee and reading a book during our entire shift. He would do quick scans of the room every once in a while, but for the most part he kept to himself. By noon, I was ready to go home and lock myself in my room for the rest of the day. I knew April would spend her time with Harrison, so I was already planning what movie I was going to watch. You know. Considering I couldn’t go anywhere alone.

This went on for only two days before I was 100% sick of it. On Wednesday, I asked April if she wanted to go out to a club. “I think Harrison and I wanted to spend a night in,” she said, flicking through the magazine she had picked up at the store on the way home from work.

“Come on,” I groaned. “I already got Robin and Daisy to fill in for us tomorrow, so we can stay out as late as we want.”

“Why’d you get them to cover?” she asked, still not looking up from her magazine.

“Because I thought you’d say yes,” I said with a pout. “So you have to say yes, because otherwise we’re both gonna be out $90 for no reason.”

She shrugged. “At least I got a day off.”

“You’re really not going to go?” I whined.

“I don’t want to,” she said with a shrug of her shoulders.

“April, I literally hate life right now,” she said. “Can’t you just give me one thing? Technically, it’s your fault we’re here.”

“Don’t give me that bullshit again,” she said with a slight laugh. “Why don’t you just go with one of the boys?”

“I would rather die,” I said, folding my arms across my chest.

“That’s a bit dramatic.”

“Hm,” I grunted. “Whatever. I want one night without a babysitter.”

“Yeah?” she said, flipping another page of her magazine. “And what are you going to do about it?”


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> (Y/N)’s night out doesn’t go to plan, and Tom cleans up after her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> pairing - mob!Tom x reader  
> word count - 4,600  
> warnings - swearing, drinking, drugging, vomit

Around 10:00, the house was quiet. I moved silently around my bedroom and put on the outfit I had hung up in the closet a few hours ago: a gold sparkly romper with spaghetti straps and a v-neck. I put my hair in a high pony and curled the strands then did my make-up as quickly as I could. By 10:30, I was ready. My plan was to order an Uber to pick me up at the McDonalds about a block down the street. That way, if anyone in the house was awake, they wouldn’t see me get picked up in a car. The most difficult part was going to be leaving the house. I wasn’t going to leave through the front door because I didn’t trust any of them to not see me. The only thing I thought might work would be to leave through the bedroom window. But that was ridiculous, right?

Yes, yes it was. But I was desperate.

I opened the window and snuck out, looking across the lawn as I hurried down the driveway and out of the gate. Luckily the bars were far enough apart that I could squeeze through them without actually opening the gate. My Uber got the McDonalds a few seconds after I did, so I gave them the address of the club I wanted to go to.

The ride was short, and I got into the club almost right away. I made my way straight to the bar and ordered myself a shot of tequila followed by a tequila lemonade. Enough tequila would get me slutty drunk, which was the kind of drunk I was feeling. Loneliness had a tendency to do that to a person.

After I drank two tequila lemonades at the bar, I ordered a third and went out to the dancefloor while I waited for it. There were a lot of people around my age who were dancing against each other to the music, so I decided to join the group. They let me into their circle right away, and I started dancing with them. Some of the girls and I playfully grinded with each other while the boys cheered us on. It was the kind of fun I usually had with my college friends, and I hadn’t realized I had been missing it until then.

I went back over to the bar to down my new drink. I plopped onto a barstool and took the first sip, enjoying the way the alcohol warmed my body. The bartender gave me a smile. “Can I guess?” she asked. I raised my eyebrows. “A break-up?”

I laughed. “No. More like I just got into a relationship. And it’s shit. And I’m stuck in it with no end in sight.”

She let out a low whistle. “Sorry. That is shit.”

“Tell me about it,” I huffed.

“What makes you think you can’t get out of it?” she asked.

“Huh?”

“Out of the shitty relationship.”

I laughed. “Call it a hunch.”

I downed the rest of my drink and opened my mouth to ask for another. Before I could-

“Put this one on my tab.”

I looked to my right and saw a  _ very _ handsome man sitting two stools down from me. I smiled and put my chin in my hand. “And who are you?” I asked, fluttering my eyelashes. He reached his hand out for me to shake.

“Liam,” he said. I shook his hand -firm- and slid into the seat next to him.

“(Y/N),” I said back. “Thanks for the drink. What do I owe ya?”

He chuckled. “How about a dance?”

“Done,” I said with a smile. The two of us stood up and made our way to the dancefloor. I didn’t know the song that was playing, but I knew it had a good beat for me to grind to. I wasted no time and turned so my back was to Liam’s front. He put his hands on my hips and pulled me close to him. We moved to the music, and I felt his hand slide down to my thigh, squeezing my leg softly. I was reminded of dancing with Tom. Tom was shorter than Liam, but not by much. They were probably also years apart in age -Liam being older- but, again, not by much. Liam had more muscle mass, but Tom-

Why the fuck was I thinking of Tom?

Liam’s lips pressed softly to my neck, and I put my hand on his head and threaded my fingers in his hair. He nipped at the skin, letting out a low chuckle when I moaned softly. I grabbed his chin and turned his head so that his lips were pressed to mine. He didn’t waste much time before he grabbed my hand and dragged me to a fairly unpopulated area of the club. Within seconds, he had me pressed up against the wall and his lips against mine. One of his hands was on my hip while the other was reaching around to squeeze my ass.

Fuck, I needed this.

I was also super drunk and horny, so that was all factoring in.

I finally used enough self restraint to pull away from him and catch my breath. “My drink,” I breathed out. “I need another drink.”

Liam laughed. “Alright. Let’s go.”

We went back to the bar where my drink was waiting for me. I sat down on my stool and drank it all too quickly. If I wasn’t careful, I’d probably get alcohol poisoning. “How many drinks have I had?” I asked the bartender, blinking away the blurriness that had come to my eyes.

She laughed. “If I’ve been keeping track correctly, four tequila lemonades and a shot.”

“Oo,” I cheered, downing the rest of the drink. “Liam, you wanna spot me another?”

I turned to look at Liam, only to find that he was gone. My jaw dropped as I looked back and forth, searching the club for the handsome man I had been dancing with. “That motherfucker!” I said, loud enough for the bartender to turn to me. I looked at her, positive there was anger in my eyes. “He ditched me!”

“Your boyfriend?”

“What?” I said. “No! No the hot guy I was dancing with.”

“Ah, it’s probably for the best,” she said with a shrug. “Cheaters never prosper.”

I snorted. “It’s a lot more complicated than that, believe me.” The girl raised her hands in defense, and I asked for another drink.

“I think I better cap you at four,” she said with a slight laugh.

“Aw, damn,” I said, sliding her my empty glass. “Don’t be a killjoy.”

“A killjoy,” she said, amused. “I’m probably saving your life.”

“Don’t flatter yourself.”

I stood up from my stool and steadied myself against the counter. “You’re not driving, are you?” she asked.

“‘Course not,” I said. “Catchin’ a taxi.”

“A taxi?”

“Mhm. Don’t wanna wait for an Uber.”

“You’d get home sooner if you ordered an Uber now than trying to flag down a taxi in this area at this hour.”

“I’ll take my chances.” I paused. “Or maybe I’ll take the bus.”

The bartender laughed. “Good luck.”

“Thanks,” I said. 

I headed outside, having to push my way past quite a few drunk people blocking my way. Eventually, when I got outside, I breathed in the New York smog and smiled. “Mm, I  _ am  _ tired,” I said aloud to myself. “Better snag a taxi.” I stepped over to the sidewalk, waving my hand in the air to get a cab’s attention. None were stopping, and I was starting to get frustrated. Across the street, I noticed more cabs were picking people up than on my side, so I figured I’d cross over and try my luck there.

My legs felt like jelly as I started to walk, and I wasn’t even slightly aware of the car speeding at me. Just before it was too late, someone grabbed me and pulled me back to the side of the road, holding me close to them in a protective manner. By the time the car had passed, I noticed it had been a taxi. Annoyed, I turned to the person who grabbed me and put my hands on my hips. “Excuse me,” I said firmly, “that was my ride.” It took me about a minute longer than it should’ve to realize that the guy who grabbed me was Tom. He looked at me with anger clear in his -currently extremely dark- eyes.

“What the hell are you doing?” he asked, keeping a grip on my arm.

“I’m trying to go home,” I said, “but you made me miss my ride.”

“I gave you explicit instructions not to leave the house,” he said, “and you ignore me and go to a bar?”

“You’re not the boss of me,” I slurred, smacking my lips and blinking harshly.

“In this scenario, I am,” he said back. “I’m just looking out for you.”

“You’re trying to own me,” I retorted, stabbing my finger against his chest. “You think-” I hiccuped. “You think just because you’re, you’re handsome and, and fucking toned as hell and, and you make me want to do, do really really inappropriate things with you that you can, you can  _ own _ me?”

I noticed then that Tom’s hair was wet, fluffy, and unstyled. I wondered what he had been doing before he so rudely came to run my life. Had he been showering?  _ Naked? _ I reached my hand up and ran my fingers through his hair. “Your hair is so soft,” I told him, my original anger subsiding. “Fluffy and brown. So unfairly cute for such a scary mob man.”

Tom sighed. “This is by far the most idiotic thing you could’ve done,” he said, pinching the bridge of his nose.

It really wasn’t often that I got drunk. Still, I knew what it felt like, and I knew there was something different about how I was feeling then. I felt more dizzy than any other time, and my head felt heavy, like I could hardly keep it up. My previously jelly-feeling legs started to shake, so I grabbed onto Tom’s shirt to hold myself up. “Tom,” I said. My voice didn’t even sound like mine. I felt like there were cotton balls in my mouth. What was happening? “Some-fin, some-fin’s wrong.” I smacked my lips and felt my eyes start to close.

“(Y/N)?” he said, slapping my cheek slightly. I forced my heavy eyelids open, feeling immense panic settling in my chest.

“What’s hapnin’?” I asked, feeling tears spring to my eyes as they struggled to stay open.

“Shit,” Tom said. “Shit. Okay. Shit. Let me get you home. I need you to try and keep your eyes open for me, okay?”

“Can’t,” I whimpered, unable to hold myself up anymore. Tom hooked his arms under my knees and picked me up and walked me over to where he had parked his car.

“Try and talk to me, okay?” he said, setting me on the passenger seat and buckling me up. “Just keep listening to my voice.” My chest felt heavy, panic settling in even more than before. I felt like I couldn’t breathe no matter how hard I tried to gulp air. It was almost like my body was on sleep mode, but it didn’t want to be.

Tom was talking, but none of his words were registering. I knew he wanted me to respond, but I didn’t think my mouth was connected to my brain. I was telling myself to talk, but my mouth wasn’t cooperating.

All I was really aware of was Tom’s hand on my thigh and how comforting it was. This was a side of Tom I hadn’t seen, and I wasn’t even coherent enough to appreciate it. All I wanted was to hold his hand in mine, but I couldn’t even keep my head up. “Tom,” I mumbled, trying to turn my head to look at him.

“What is it, darling?”

“‘M sahr.”

“What?” Tom said. It felt like the car had stopped, and I hoped we were home. I swallowed thickly and tried to enunciate my words.

“‘M sorry.”

“It’s alright, it’s alright,” he said, cupping my cheek and making me look at him. My eyes still were hardly open. “How’re you doing?” I just shook my head as much as I could, and Tom sighed. “C’mon, I’ll take you inside.” Tom came around to my side of the car, opened the door, and lifted me off the seat. The house was quiet when we got inside, and I wondered what time it was. Tom kicked my bedroom door open and laid me down on the bed. “I’m gonna go get you some water, okay?” he asked. I felt like I nodded, but I wasn’t sure if I actually did.

Once he was gone, I tried to get comfortable, but my stomach was in so much pain. I knew what was coming, so I leaned over the bed, grabbed the trash can, and threw up. In the midst of my vomiting, I was crying. My whole body was shaking and my head felt blank. All I knew was the pain and fear coursing through my veins.

It was going to be a long night.

**-**

Tom jogged over to the kitchen and filled up a glass of water. His hands were shaking with rage  and fear as he turned off the faucet. This was not a simple drunk. Something was wrong with (Y/N), and Tom had this sinking feeling he knew what it was. He had been told about these symptoms before. Had seen these symptoms before. The sudden disorientation and loss of body control. This wasn’t just too much alcohol. (Y/N) was drugged. He had no doubt about it.

When Tom went back into (Y/N)’s room, she was leaning over the edge of the bed with her face in the bin. She was puking her guts out, so Tom rushed to her side and sat beside her on the bed. He rubbed her back and lifted the bin closer to her. “‘M scared,” (Y/N) mumbled. Tears were running down her cheeks, and her whole body was shaking.

“You’re alright,” Tom told her. “You’re okay. I’ve got you.” Once (Y/N) got all the vomit out of her system, she moved slowly off the bed. “Whoa, whoa, where’re you going?” Tom asked her, putting his arm around her waist to steady her.

“Don’ ‘anna wear ‘is,” (Y/N) said, tugging at the straps of her romper. She pulled it down her body before Tom could stop her and went to a pile of clothes that were on the floor. Tom realized right away that they were the clothes he had let her borrow the other day. She tugged the pajama pants up her legs and moved to unhook her bra. Tom looked away and ran a hand through his hair with a sigh. He assumed she put his t-shirt on, so he turned to look at her just as she stumbled to the bathroom.

“Now what?” Tom asked, following (Y/N).

“My makeup,” she whined. She stumbled, and her body hit the wall.

“Jesus,” Tom sighed. (Y/N) continued to the bathroom, accidentally knocking a few bottles over on the counter. “Okay, baby,” Tom said, putting his hands on (Y/N)’s waist. “Come on. Let me help you.” He walked her over to the toilet, flicked the lid down, and had her sit. He grabbed some of her makeup wipes that were sitting on the counter and crouched down in front of her. His left hand held the back of her head while his other started wiping the makeup wipe across her face. He started with her lipstick, wiping away the red, smearing some across her cheek. He couldn’t help but laugh a bit, but she was too far gone to really realize. Her eyes had fluttered shut, so Tom gently slapped her cheeks to keep her eyes on him.

“Wanna sleep,” (Y/N) whined.

“I know,” Tom told her. “Just let me get this off, and you can go right to bed, okay, petal?”

“Mkay,” she muttered.

Tom wiped the eyeliner and mascara from (Y/N)’s eyes and the foundation from the rest of her face. He thought the whole situation was weirdly intimate, and he found himself rubbing his thumb across her lower lip. She hummed softly but didn’t open her eyes. With a sigh, Tom stood up from the ground and put his arm around her again. They walked over to the bed, and Tom untucked the covers and let (Y/N) flop onto the mattress. He even went as far as to tuck her in and pull the covers up her body. Just as he started to walk away, she muttered his name. He turned to look back at her. “M’ phone,” she said. “‘S in m’ pocket.” Tom nodded and grabbed her romper, digging through the pockets. One felt empty until his fingers came across a piece of paper. He furrowed his eyebrows and pulled it out. It was folded in four, so he unfolded it and read the words scrawled across it.

Tom felt anger move from his head to my toes as he crumpled the note in his hand.  _ Control yourself, Holland. _ Tom grabbed (Y/N)’s phone and plugged it into her charger for her. Just before he could walk away, she reached her hand out to grab his arm. “Sleep,” she muttered, her eyes closed.

“That’s right,” Tom said, stroking (Y/N)’s cheek. “Go to sleep.”

“No,” she whined. “Stay wi’ me.”

Tom’s mind went into battle with itself. He wasn’t used to the way his heart fluttered when someone asked him to stay. Usually he’d roll his eyes, pull on his boxers, and slip out their bedroom door. This was different. (Y/N) was different, though he’d never admit it out loud. And after reading the note he found in her pocket, he was struck with such strong emotion. He was angry.  _ Furious _ . And scared. Worried. He hated those emotions, but there they were, punching him in the gut as his eyes scanned across the words. Why did he care so much? He swore from the minute he saw (Y/N) that his attraction was nothing more than a desire to get laid. The banter they had between each other was nothing more than anger coming to surface. It wasn’t sexual tension. It was just anger and lust, but not lust directed towards (Y/N) particularly. It was misdirected lust.

It wasn’t that Tom had feelings for her. It wasn’t that he was attracted to her spunk and her beauty and her humor and her attitude. He wasn’t attracted to her. He didn’t like her. He didn’t care about her. That wasn’t why he caved and crawled into bed beside her. Of course it wasn’t. No way.

Tom didn’t want to think about it. It was making his head hurt.

He kicked off his shoes and crawled into bed beside (Y/N). He kept a fair distance between their bodies, but (Y/N) was the one who closed it. She wrapped an arm around his stomach and tangled her legs with his while resting her head on his chest. One of his arms was around her, and he already knew that it would fall asleep in the middle of the night. Despite that, he didn’t care. In fact, he rather liked it. Tom felt like (Y/N) was still shaking, so he held her a little tighter and rubbed his hand up and down her arm. “I’ve got you,” he muttered in her hair. “I’ve got you.”

When Tom woke up the next morning, he still had his arms wrapped around (Y/N). She was snoring softly, and her face was pressed against his chest. It took him a moment to remember what had happened the night before and why he was in bed with (Y/N), but when he did, he almost wished he hadn’t. Tom looked down at (Y/N) to see if there were any marks on her. He had been so preoccupied with getting her to bed last night that he hadn’t bothered to see if she was physically okay. From what he could see -her arms and a bit of her hip- she was okay. That at least brought him some relief.

This was exactly why Tom didn’t want (Y/N) and April involved. He knew something would happen.

Tom pushed himself out of bed, hoping he wouldn’t wake (Y/N) up. She didn’t stir at all, so he moved to grab her bin and empty it out. He dumped the vomit down the toilet, pulling the collar of his shirt over his nose as he flushed it. Then he left her room and went to the kitchen to rinse it out in the sink. He put some soapy water in it and let it sit while he headed to the stairs. He needed to find Harrison. He didn’t even know what time it was, but he didn’t care if he woke him up. Tom needed to warn Harrison that this was more serious than they initially thought.

Tom went upstairs and crept over to Harrison’s room, knocking lightly on the door. He figured if Harrison and April were having morning sex, he didn’t want to walk in on it. When they didn’t say anything, Tom pushed the door open and saw they were both still asleep. He didn’t want to deal with explaining everything to April, so he walked as quietly as he could over to Harrison and shook his arm a bit. When Harrison turned to look at him, Tom put his finger to his lips signaling Harrison needed to be quiet. He just nodded and got out of bed, moving April away from him so she could keep sleeping. Much like (Y/N), she didn’t stir at all. Harrison grabbed some joggers from his drawer and pulled a hoodie over his head then followed Tom out of the room.

“What’s going on?” Harrison asked, running a hand through his bedhead.

“We have a problem,” Tom said.

“What do you mean?”

“(Y/N) went out last night,” Tom said, “on her own.” Harrison’s eyes grew wide, and Tom continued. “I found this in her pocket.” He handed Harrison the note, and Harrison unfolded it and read it, his lips moving with the words he read. When he finished, his jaw clenched and he handed Tom the note back.

“Okay,” he said. “What’s our move?”

**-**

When I woke up, my head was pounding. I pressed the heel of my hand to my forehead and groaned. At least I didn’t feel nauseous. I racked my brain to think of how last night went. I knew I had gone out for drinks, but the rest of the night was blurry. What scared me was that it was blurrier than any other time I went drinking. I had never been blackout drunk before, and I really couldn’t see myself doing it. How much had I had to drink last night? Did I really drink that much?

I looked down at my clothes and saw that I was wearing Tom’s clothes that he had given me a few nights prior. Okay. Tom’s clothes. I looked next to me on the bed. No Tom. I looked at my phone -plugged in and fully charged- to see that it was about 10:00. I sighed and decided to get out of bed and go get some coffee in my system. I figured that would make me feel a little better. When I got to the kitchen, I saw that everyone was already up and sitting at the kitchen table. They looked like they were in deep discussion, but all froze when they saw me. April was the first one to get up and walk over to me. She pulled me into a hug straight away which I returned with confusion. When she pulled away and put her hands on my shoulders, I tried to read her expression. “What’s going on?” I asked.

“Do you remember what happened last night?” she asked. I blushed and glanced over at the boys.

“How did you know I went out?” I asked, trying to keep my voice quiet.

“Because I went after you,” Tom said, standing up from the table. He walked over to us and folded his arms across his chest. “Now, let’s ask again. Do you remember what happened last night?”

“No,” I said. My heart started racing a bit. “Why? What’s going on?” Tom put both hands on his head and let out a heavy sigh, then turned around and walked back to the table.

“Let’s get you some coffee,” April said, putting her arm around my waist. I nodded and let her pour me a mug of coffee. We all sat around at the table, and I tucked one of my legs under my butt.

“Okay,” I said. “You’re all scaring me. What’s going on?”

“You remember going out,” Harrison said. I nodded. “What else?”

“I had a couple drinks,” I said. “Honestly, I don’t remember anything after that. I don’t usually get that drunk.”

“You weren’t just drunk, (Y/N),” Tom said. His eyes looked tired, but not physically. More emotionally.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean-” He sighed. “-someone drugged your drink.”

Everyone was quiet for a moment. I tried to get the information to settle in my head and register, but I felt numb. “How did you find me?” was the first thing I asked. I swore I saw his cheeks turn a little pink before he cleared his throat.

“I went to your room around 11:00,” he said. “I wanted to make sure-” He cleared his throat again. “-I wanted to make sure you were there. I had a feeling you would try and run off at some point this week. When I saw you weren’t there, I headed out to the closest club. I just had this feeling that’s where you’d be. When I found you-”

(Tom decided to leave out most of the details.)

“You were already pretty far gone,” he said. “I could tell you were more than just drunk. I figured you’d been drugged.”

I was silent, letting the words process in my head. “Are, are you sure?” I finally said. “Like, like are you positive that happened? Maybe I was just really drunk. You don’t know that I was-”

“I know how people can get when they’re drugged,” Tom said. “You were drugged, (Y/N).” I swallowed thickly and shuddered, blinking back tears.

“Did anything happen to me?” I asked. “Did someone, did anyone-”

“No,” Tom said, not making me finish the sentence. “No, I think I got to you before anything happened.”

“But-” I took another deep breath. “-are you absolutely, 100% positive?”

Tom looked at the others before he looked at me again. “We found something else,” he said.

“What do you mean?” I asked.

Tom reached into the pocket of his joggers and pulled out a folded piece of paper. He slid it over to me, so I took it and unfolded it. Across the small white paper were three sentences written in sloppy black handwriting:

_ She sure is pretty, Tom. You should take better care of her. We’d hate to see someone take advantage of such a sweet girl. _


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tom and Harrison agree to teach April and (Y/N) how to defend themselves, and Tom and (Y/N) make a few other deals of their own.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> pairing - mob!Tom x reader  
> word count - 4,956  
> warnings - swearing, guns

I kept rereading the words on the paper over and over again:

_ She sure is pretty, Tom. You should take better care of her. We’d hate to see someone take advantage of such a sweet girl. _

Eventually, my hands started shaking and my eyes got blurry with tears. “Fuck,” I muttered, putting my hand on my forehead. “Fuck. Fuck!” I looked up at Tom, wiping away a tear that had fallen. “This is bullshit! What the fuck does this even mean?” Tom put his elbows on the table and his head in his hands.

“I’m sorry,” he mumbled. Everyone turned their heads to look at him, and I wondered if Tom apologizing was a rare occurrence. From what I knew of him, that didn’t surprise me.

“I don’t understand,” April said. “Why are Mackie’s guys after you all anyway?”

“It’s my fault,” Tom admitted, still not looking up at us.

“It’s not,” Harrison argued with a shake of his head. “And you’ve gotta stop telling yourself it is.”

“Why would it be your fault?” April asked.

“I’m the one who moved us from London to Mackie’s neighborhood,” he explained. “He’s been after us for five years. I took his territory, and he wants it back. If I had kept us in London-”

“-we would’ve had a different set of problems in a different country,” Harrison said. “Trouble’s gonna be wherever we are. We just have to deal with it.”

Everyone was quiet for a moment, then Harry sighed. “Okay,” he said, “we’ve established how they know who April and (Y/N)  _ are _ , but how did they know (Y/N) was out?”

“And why are they going after (Y/N) and not April?” Sam repeated.

“Well,” Harrison said (slowly, like he was hesitant), “April is associated with me, right? She’s  _ my  _ girlfriend. (Y/N) is, in turn, associated with Tom.”

“How am I associated with Tom?” I said. “By default?”

“I mean, you guys were dancing together at the club that you said Mackie’s guys were at,” April said. “I guess it kind of makes sense.” Tom and I made eye contact for a slight second before we both looked away.

“All that aside,” Harry said, “I still don’t get how they knew (Y/N) was out. And how they knew  _ that’s  _ where she would be.”

“Is someone watching us?” I asked.

“No way,” Tom said. “No one could be watching the house. There’s no way.”

“Okay,” I said. “Then I don’t get it.”

“Let’s forget about  _ how  _ this happened for a second,” Harrison said. “The thing we should be focusing on is making sure that you guys know what to do if this happens again.”

“What does that mean?” April asked.

“I think we should teach you about the job,” he said, “and how to protect yourselves if something happens to you.”

“Like self defense?” April said.

“Like self defense,” Harrison repeated with a nod. April and I looked at each other before we both nodded.

“Okay,” April said. “If that’s what you think is the best idea.”

“I do,” Harrison said. “Tom?”

Tom shrugged. “I guess it couldn’t hurt.”

“Great,” Harrison said. “So I’ll help April, you can help (Y/N)?” I rolled my eyes, and Tom sighed but nodded. “Why don’t we get started right away, then,” Harrison said. “You girls go put on some gym stuff and come right back. We’ll take you down to the gym.”

Even though this was not how I wanted to spend my morning, I knew Harrison was right. We needed to know how to defend ourselves if something worse were to happen than what happened last night. So, I went into my room and sifted through my clothes before pulling out a pair of cropped leggings and a grey v-neck t-shirt. While I was putting my hair in a ponytail, there was a knock at my door. “Yeah?” I called. Instead of April like I assumed it would be, it was Tom. “Oh,” I said, dropping my arms to my sides. “What are you doing here?”

“Can I come in?” he asked. I realized that he actually hadn’t stepped into the room, which surprised me. It was way more like him to just walk right in.

“Uh, sure,” I said. Tom nodded and walked in, closing the door behind him and putting his hands in his pockets. “You’re being weird,” I said.

“Sorry,” Tom said, shaking his hair through his hand. “I just think that we should fix this-” He motioned between the two of us.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” I snapped. “Fix what?”

“Jesus,” Tom mumbled. “Do you have to be so dramatic about everything?”

“ _ I’m _ dramatic?” I shouted. “Let’s talk about how you  _ stalked _ me and followed me!”

“And saved your life!” Tom shouted back. “God, you’re so, so-”

“So?”   
“So infuriating!” Tom said. “And if you expect me to help you defend yourself, we need to stop being at each other’s throats all the time!”

“I’ll stop if you’ll stop!” I shouted back.

“That’s what I’m saying!” Tom said. “I’m saying that I’ll stop! I’m saying I’m sorry I’ve been a dick, and I want to stop! So let’s fucking stop!”

My shoulders dropped a little bit. “Oh,” I said. I poked my tongue against my cheek and looked around the room awkwardly. “Okay. Yeah. I guess you’re right.” I paused. “So this is like a truce?” Tom cracked a grin.

“Yeah,” he said. “I guess it’s a truce.” I stuck out my hand for him to shake. “Truce,” he said, gripping my hand and giving it a firm shake.

“Truce,” I repeated. His hand gripped mine for a moment longer than expected, and when he pulled away he put his hands back in his pockets.

“Are you ready?” he asked.

“Yeah,” I said with a nod. “Just let me grab my Nikes.”

(Tom stared at her ass as she bent over to grab the shoes that were on the floor, but he looked away just as fast.)

The truce felt weird and slightly unbelievable, but after what happened last night, I knew I needed to learn how to protect myself. I figured that would be easier if Tom and I weren’t constantly fighting, even if our feelings of non-hatred were forced or pretend.

Tom lead me downstairs to the gym which I had no idea even existed. It wasn’t as nice as the rest of the house. It wasn’t like a five star gym. It was like a dull room with a boxing ring in the middle, some weight-lifting machines in one corner, two treadmills in another, and then a few punching bags along one of the walls. April and Harrison were in the middle of the ring stretching. Tom and I went to join them. We did a few basic stretches before going over to the punching bags along the wall. Tom held mine while Harrison held April’s. “Okay,” Tom said. “Let’s wrap your hands.” April and I nodded, so Tom and Harrison each started wrapping our hands. “You start by putting your thumb in the loop,” Tom explained as he did it for me. “Then you’re gonna go three times around the wrist-” He did. “-then three times around the hand.” I was completely mesmerized as Tom wrapped my hand so intricately. “Now, we’ll make three  _ x _ ’s. We’ll go back behind the thumb, and then bring it between the pinky and ring finger and then bring it across the back of your hand and back around your thumb. The second  _ x _ , you’ll do the same thing except between your ring and middle, then again but between your middle and pointer. Then we’ll go once around the thumb, flip the hand over, and go three times around the knuckles.” We had a little bit of the wrap left, so Tom explained that we’d use the rest of it just by rewrapping the wrists and knuckles a few more times before securing it at the end.

Tom looked up at me after wrapping my first hand and gave me a small smile. “Do you want to try this one on your own?” he asked, taking my other hand and lifting it. I shook my head no.

“You can do it,” I said. “Don’t wanna do it wrong.” Tom just chuckled a bit and nodded, repeating the process on my other hand. When he was done, I thought I noticed him brush his thumb across my wrapped knuckles. I convinced myself I imagined it. “Alright,” he said, clearing his throat a bit. “Let’s do this.”

Tom and Harrison showed us how to plant our feet and told us to punch the bag in sets of three -right, left, right- using the proper form. They said we would do this in twelve sets of two minutes with thirty second rests in between. “Make sure you keep your thumb on the outside of your fist,” Tom said, taking my hand and adjusting how I was making a fist. “If you keep it inside, you’ll break your thumb.” April and I both started hitting our bags, and Harrison started teaching us some lessons.

“If you  _ are  _ in a physical fight,” Harrison said, “go for the vulnerable body parts- eyes, groin, and throat.”

“And if you end up getting taken,” Tom said, “do your best to not get taken to a secondary location.”

“If a car starts to drive alongside you,” Harrison added, “turn around and run in the opposite direction. It’ll buy you some time. But if you do get grabbed and shoved in the trunk, knock out the taillights with your foot and stick your hand out so cars behind you can see you. Do anything so that someone can see you.”

“Don’t some cars have those handles that pop the trunk from the inside?” I asked, wiping some sweat from my forehead.

“Chances are if you’re put in a trunk, they’ve already taken that out,” Tom said. I nodded and continued hitting the bag. “Now,” he said again, “let’s go over the rules.”

“The rules?” I repeated.

“This family runs by twelve rules,” Tom said, holding my punching bag more firmly as it swayed a bit. “We call them the Holland Family Commandments.”

“Cute,” April said, throwing another punch.

“Important,” Harrison emphasized. “If you guys hope to survive, it’s important you know all twelve.”

“Alright,” I said. “Go on and list ‘em.”

“The first four have names,” Tom said. “Number one is  _ omertà _ . It’s the code of silence”

“Never  _ ever _ talk to the authorities,” Harrison said.

“Omertà,” I repeated. “Got it.”

“Number two,” Tom continued. “Family Secrets. Members can’t talk about family business to non-members.”

“So,” April said, wiping some sweat from her forehead. “Is this technically breaking that rule?”

Tom shrugged. “There’s an exception to every rule.”

“Or are you just admitting that we’re part of the family now?” I joked.

Tom scoffed and grinned. “Careful what you wish for, love. But no, you’re not part of the family.”

“But I’d say you’re connected enough,” Harrison said. “It’s in your best interest to hear the aspects of the business that will help keep you safe.”

“And it’s not like we’re telling you about or taking you on jobs,” Tom said. “Listing our rules is different than talking about business. I’m pretty sure you can find a list of mob family rules online.” We all chuckled, and Tom nodded for us to start our next set. “Number three,” he said, “is Blood for Blood. If a family member kills another family member, no one can commit murder in revenge unless the boss -me- gives permission.”

“Number four,” Harrison continued. “No fighting among members.”

“Pretty self-explanatory,” Tom said. Tom and Harrison shared a look I couldn’t decipher but didn’t say anything. April and I both nodded, so Tom continued. “Those four are pretty standard in every family,” Tom said, “but the next eight have been a staple in our family since my granddad was the boss.”

With each punch I nailed against the bag, Tom listed a rule:

“Number five: every month, members have to pay the boss and give them a cut on any side deals. Number six: never be seen with cops. Seven: don’t go to pubs and clubs alone. Always bring another family member.”

“That’s why Tom had to come when we went out that night,” Harrison explained. “It kind of just goes with the idea that there’s strength in numbers.”

“Right,” Tom said, then continued. “Eight: always be available for duty. Nine: appointments must be respected. Ten: wives and significant others must be treated with respect. Eleven: when asked for information, the answer must be the truth. And twelve: money cannot be appropriated if it belongs to other families.”

After his speech, I didn’t hesitate to start asking questions. “Where do the members get the money to pay you?”

“Any deal that goes down or assignment I give usually involves money,” Tom explained. “Whether it’s a major assignment or something a family member picks up on their own, I get some of the cut.”

“Well that doesn’t seem fair,” I said with a slight smirk.

“The life of the mob, baby,” he teased. I chose not to let the nickname get to me and instead laughed and rolled my eyes.

“What kind of assignments do you do?” April asked.

“It varies,” Harrison said. “Sometimes we get hired to take someone out, sometimes we work with local businesses and tell them we’ll protect them in crime-ridden neighborhoods if they pay us.”

“Sounds like a scam,” I said.

Harrison shrugged. “Sometimes it is.”

“We really do try to be honest in as many areas as we can be,” Tom said, “but that’s not always possible.”

“So you call yourselves a family,” April said, “but you and Harrison aren’t related.”

“Family is just how mobs refer to each other,” Tom said.

“And you’re the boss?” I said. He nodded. “What’s everybody else?”   
“Well,” Tom said, “Harrison is my number two. Officially he’s called the consigliere. Harry and Sam are considered capos. They each have men under them that they order around who do the work that we don’t. That’s what Paddy’ll be eventually, too.”

“Paddy?” April asked.

“My youngest brother.”

“How old is he?” I asked.

“15,” Tom said. “He’ll join when he’s 16.”

“Wow,” I set, stepping back from the punching bag for our next thirty second break. “That’s young.”

“That’s when everyone starts,” Tom said. April stepped away from her bag as well, and we both drank a bit of water.

“How long have we been doing this?” April asked.

“That was our twelfth set,” Harrison said, squeezing April’s shoulder. “Good job.”

“That was rough,” I admitted.

“It’ll get easier the more you do it,” Tom said. “Now, though, I think we should take five and then start working specifically on self defense moves.”

The five minutes went by way too fast, but I didn’t complain. The four of us got into the ring, and Tom and Harrison started walking us through a few defenses. “If someone grabs your shoulders or latches their hands around your neck-” Tom did to me as he was describing. “-step back and duck under their arms.”

“And tighten your neck,” Harrison added. “Give yourself a triple chin.” April and I both giggled as Harrison showed us what he meant. “You want to make your neck as hard as you can because it makes it more difficult for them to penetrate you with something.” We moved to the next position.

“If they get you in a chokehold,” Tom said, putting his arm around my neck while standing behind me, “don’t try to pull their arm away from you. Look what happens when you try that.” I did as he said, and Tom just lifted me up and walked backwards. “Boom, now you’re in the van.” I nodded as he put me back down on the ground. “Instead, you’re kind of going to do the same thing. The same kind of ducking under them.”

“This is more like unraveling from the chokehold,” Harrison said. “You’re going to want to turn your body in the direction of the opening.” He motioned to the arm that wasn’t around April’s neck. “Step forward with your left foot, back with your right foot, and unravel yourself from my grip.” April did as he said, slowly, following along with each direction. “Then,” Harrison said, “push me away, and take off.”

We practiced those routines and a few others until April and I were sufficiently exhausted. “You girls did really well,” Harrison said. Tom nodded along with him and tossed me my water bottle.

“We really appreciate this,” I said. “Thank you.”

“No problem,” Harrison said.

“Whoo,” April breathed out, wiping her forehead with the back of her hand. “I think I need a shower.” She looked at Harrison with a devious smirk, and I gagged and rolled my eyes.

“Oh!” Harrison said, his face lighting up. “Right. That’s a great idea.” April sent me a wave as she and Harrison jogged out of the gym and back upstairs.

“Charming,” Tom said with a grin. I laughed and nodded, starting to unwrap my hands. “You really did do well,” Tom said. “I know it’s hard, but you’re off to a great start.”

“You think we’ll do this everyday?” I asked.

He shrugged. “I think it couldn’t hurt.” I nodded and handed Tom my wrap so he could wind it back up.

“How often do you do hand-to-hand stuff?” I asked.

“I come down here about once a day,” he said. “If my schedule’s free enough.”

“No,” I said. “I mean, like, when you’re actually out there doing stuff.”

“Oh,” Tom said, furrowing his eyebrows as he finished winding the first wrap. “I don’t know. I guess I do more with guns than anything else.” I nodded and finished unwrapping my other fist. It was weird having casual conversation with Tom that didn’t feel like it was fueled by anger, hatred, and disgust, but I supposed it was something I could get used to.

“Could you teach me?” I asked. He took the wrap and cocked his head to the side.

“Teach you?”

“How to use a gun,” I said. Tom raised his eyebrows before looking down at the wrap to roll it back up. “You don’t have to,” I said, feeling my heart start to hammer in embarrassment. “I just know guns aren’t April’s thing, but I, I don’t know. After everything that happened last night, it’d be nice to know how to use one in case-”

“I get it,” Tom said, cutting me off and nodding. “I completely understand. I, sure, yeah, I can teach you.” I gave him a short nod.

“Cool,” I said. “Thank you.”

“Do you want to start today?” he asked.

“Yeah,” I said. “If you don’t mind.”

“Not at all,” he said.

“I don’t really want April to know we’re doing it,” I said. “I think it would weird her out.”

“That’s fine,” Tom said. “I’ll tell Harrison to keep her occupied for an hour. I’m sure that won’t be a problem.”

“Great,” I scoffed, shuddering a bit. “Great and gross.”

Tom laughed. “Come on. You can go shower, and we’ll make some lunch. You’re probably hungry.”

“Starving.”

After I showered, I changed into some jeans and a black t-shirt that said  _ c’est la vie _ in small white font. We ate lunch -sandwiches- and Harrison and April went out to get some coffee. It was a good thing I had asked for the day off, because we had no obligation to be anywhere. When they were gone, Tom asked if I was ready to go practice shooting. I nodded, slipped my black Nikes back on, and followed Tom outside.

I hadn’t realized how big their property was until we started walking across it. We had been walking along a sidewalk for about five minutes when we came across another building, still in their gated property. Tom opened the door for me, and we both stepped in. No one else was there, and Tom told me it was because the range belonged to them and them alone.

Tom walked me over to the arsenal. Tom stared at it for a moment before reaching for a small-

“Pistol,” Tom said, finishing my thought. “A 9mm pistol. It’s what a lot of beginners use for self-defense.”

“Okay,” I said. I reached for the gun, but Tom pulled back.

“Hang on, babe,” he laughed. “There’s a lot we’ve gotta walk through before you even hold this.”

“Alright,” I said with a grin and slight eye roll. Tom pressed the button on the side of the hand grip, and something ejected from the handle.

“This is the magazine,” he said. “It holds the bullets. This one’s empty.” He had grabbed a box of bullets from one of the drawers and showed them to me. He inserted the bullets one at a time with the rounded side forward until the magazine was full. “Now-” He pushed it back in briskly and firmly until it clicked. “-you lock it into place.” He turned the gun and showed me a small lever on the side. “This is the safety,” he said. “You  _ always _ want to make sure that’s on unless you’re ready to shoot. That’s how idiots blow their dicks off- by shoving it in their pants with the safety off.” I laughed, and Tom grinned. He nodded his head for me to follow him over to the cubicles where you actual shoot at the targets. It looked like the shooting ranges you would see on cop shows. Tom turned the safety off and put his palm on top of the gun. “You pull this back,” he said. “It’s called the slide.” He used his palm to pull it back. “Now you’ve chambered a round. Since this is semi automatic, you’ll only have to do that once. Not every single time you fire.”

I nodded and watched as he properly gripped the gun. “Hold it in your dominant hand, and make sure your pinky, ring, and middle fingers are on the grip. Your pointer should be outside of the trigger. Do  _ not _ put it on the trigger until you’re ready to shoot. Your finger’s gonna slip, and you’ll shoot before you’re ready.”

“Right,” I said with a nod.

“Put your thumb around it,” he said. “You hold it firmly, but don’t put a death grip on it. Now, ideally, you’ll have both hands free. Not like you’re in a movie, you know, like a gun in each hand.” I smirked and nodded. “So you’ll hold this gun in both hands. You’ll put the heel of your other hand on the exposed parts of the grip. This thumb should be right under and a little bit farther up than your other thumb, and all four of your fingers should be wrapped around the base of the grip, just under the trigger guard and around your other hand. It’s going to feel weird, but the more often you do it, the more normal it’ll feel.”

Tom adjusted how he was standing and explained it to me as he did. “Shoulder width apart, knees slightly bent,” he said. “Square your shoulders and lean forward a little bit. Just your torso. Keep it close to you until you have your target. Figure out which eye is your dominant eye.” He looked at me. “It’s not always the same as your dominant hand. We’ll figure that out when you’re holding it.” He put his arms out straight in front of him. “Don’t lock your arms,” he said. “Just like your legs, just stay a little bent at the elbow. Then, aim, and fire.” I cringed, ready for him to shoot, but he didn’t. “I won’t shoot,” he said, putting the gun down and turning the safety back on. “Not when you don’t have your ear protection. But before we even do that, we need to find your dominant eye.”

“Okay,” I said.

“Make a diamond with your hands,” Tom said. He took both of his hands and put the four fingers on his right hand behind the four fingers on his left hand and slightly overlapped his thumbs so that there was a small circle between his thumbs. I did the same and held them in front of me. “Now-” He turned and faced the wall. There was a circular analog clock hanging on the wall. “-put that clock in the middle of your circle.” I mimicked him. “Close your right eye,” he said, and so I did. “Can you still see the clock?”

“Mhm,” I hummed.

“Okay,” he said. “Now, just to double check, open your right eye and close your left.” I did.

“I can’t see it,” I said before he could ask.

“Good,” he said. “That means your left eye is dominant, so that’s the eye you’ll aim with.”

“Okay,” I said.

Tom and I both put some big earmuffs on and slid on safety glasses. We kept one ear open so we could hear each other speak. “Show me what to do,” Tom said to me. He handed me the gun, and I took a deep breath the minute it was in my hand. It felt weird and heavy and wrong. “Talk me through it.”

I nodded. “I’ll check that it’s loaded.”

“Eh,” Tom said, making a fake buzzer noise.

“I already messed up?” I said, dropping my shoulders.

“Check the safety,” he said.

“Fuck you,” I said with a laugh. “I saw you turn it on.”

“Don’t care,” Tom said, grinning. “Check anyway.” I rolled my eyes and did, “making sure the safety was on” before moving on to the next step.

“ _ Now _ ,” I said, “I check that it’s loaded.” I ejected the magazine, proved that it was loaded, and clicked it into place. “Pull the slide back.” I did. “And hold it-” I looked at Tom. “- _ correctly _ .” He smiled and nodded. I was standing in my cubicle lane, but I turned my body so I was facing the targets. I held the gun how I remembered Tom teaching me to.

“Freeze,” Tom said. I did, and Tom moved behind me. “Can I help?” he asked. I nodded. “Alright, I’m gonna put my hands on you, okay?” I nodded again, surprised that he was asking for so much permission during the process. He probably didn’t want to startle me into pulling the trigger. He adjusted my hand a bit and moved my arms so they weren’t as locked as I had had them. “Alright,” he said, his lips close to my exposed ear. “Now, remember, use your dominant eye to aim.” He was whispering, and I could feel every breath he took. “Look through that little notch on the top of the gun,” he said. “That’s how you aim.” I nodded and did as he said. There were two targets on the silhouette. One was on its chest, the other on its head. Tom finally stepped back from me. “Obviously you’re aiming for the  _ x _ in the middle,” he said, “but don’t get mad if you miss.” I nodded and put my earmuff over my ear.

“Aim,” I whispered to myself, looking through the notch, “and fire.”

I pressed the trigger one time and let out a breath I didn’t know I had been holding. I clicked the safety back on and set the gun on the counter. Tom pressed a button on the side of the wall, and the target mechanically moved towards me. The minute it was in front of us, I took off my earmuffs and let them hang around my neck. My jaw dropped, and Tom was silent.

I hit the  _ x _ I had been aiming for.

Right in the middle of the head.

“You sure you haven’t done that before?” Tom asked. I just shook my head no, still shocked at myself. Tom cleared his throat but also laughed. “Well, shit,” he said. “You’ve got a better shot than Harry.”

“I can’t believe I did that,” I said. I looked at Tom, feeling a smile spread across my face. “Can I do it again?”

“Alright, Bonnie,” he laughed. He pressed the button to send the target back. Once it was in place, he put his earmuffs back on. I did the same. I resumed the shooting position and fired off the rest of the chamber.

By the time I was done, I couldn’t wipe the grin off my face. “I’m so good!” I cheered, bouncing on the balls of my feet.

“You are,” Tom laughed with a nod. I reached out and squeezed Tom’s bicep

“Thank you,” I told him. “For teaching me and, and -I don’t know- being nice to me I guess.” Tom gave me another short nod and a tight-lipped smile. I handed him the gun and we both started putting away the earmuffs and glasses.

“Now,” Tom said, taking the gun and emptying the magazine, “no matter how good you actually are at self defense, you should always make sure someone’s got your six.”

“My six?” I repeated, cocking my head to the side.

Tom chuckled. “Your back. Everyone in your family should always have your back, but you should have one person whose loyalty you never,  _ ever _ doubt. No matter how often you fight or argue or disagree, you need to know this person will always be looking out for you. For me, it’s Harrison. For you, it’s probably April.”

“How do you know he’s always got it?” I asked.

Tom shrugged. “Just do.”

I nodded in understanding, and Tom and I left the shooting range to go back to the house, walking in comfortable silence.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harrison crosses a line, and (Y/N) and Tom take a stab at friendship.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> pairing - mob!Tom x reader  
> word count - 4,430  
> warnings - cocaine usage, swearing, drinking

(Y/N) and Tom got back to the house, and Tom left her alone. He knew he probably should’ve gone down to the gym, but he went to his room instead. He needed to do something. Hit something. Fucking do anything. Do anything to get his mind off the blood that was rushing to his cock when he watched (Y/N) use that gun.

It was the hottest thing he had ever seen in his life. Who would’ve thought a girl with a pistol would be such a turn on for him?

But he refused to jack off to the thought of her. Not again. Not when she was in his house, and not when they were trying to actually get along.

Tom paced around his room, tugging his fingers through his hair in frustration. “Fuck!” he almost shouted, clenching his fists and digging his nails into his palms. He knew what he wanted to do. The one thing that always, without fail, got his mind off the things he didn’t want to think about.

Tom went into his bathroom and dug through the top drawer. Pushed in the back was his stash of cocaine. He grabbed his wallet out of his pocket and got out his debit card, then dumped a little bit of the powder onto the counter. With the card, he made it into two lines, but before he could actually snort the powder-

Tom stared at himself in the mirror, gripped the counter in his hands, and clenched his jaw. He could practically hear Harrison in the back of his head, reminding him of all the reasons he should kick the habit. And deep down, he knew he was right. But life was hard and his job put him under a lot of stress, and with the girls in the house, he was way more on edge than usual, now having to keep an eye on two other people who weren’t even - _ technically _ \- his responsibility. And now these  _ feelings _ ? He couldn’t have those.

“Fuck it.”

**-**

Tom went upstairs as soon as we got home, so I just went into the living room. April and Harrison were there, flicking through titles on Netflix. “Hey,” I said, smiling at them. “Can I join you?”

“‘Course,” April said with a smile. “We’re trying to find a movie.”

“Gotcha,” I said. I plopped on one of the recliners and tucked my feet up under me. While they scrolled through the movies, I was thinking about the time I had spent with Tom. I actually had so much fun with him. We were laughing and talking, and he was  _ nice _ . Maybe our bickering had all just been stupid and pointless. Maybe this truce was a good idea.

I couldn’t help but wonder if one of the reasons his personality had shifted was because of what happened to me when I went out. It was the first time I had seen him treat me with any emotion except anger and annoyance. He cared. I could tell the minute I woke up in the morning and saw him with the others in the kitchen. I wish I had a clearer picture of what happened the night before. Why did Tom come into my room that night in the first place? Why did he care about where I was or what I was doing? Was it guilt? Guilt that I was in this situation? An obligation he had to fulfill to Harrison? Or did he actually care?

“Hey, Harrison?” I asked. He and April looked at me. They had been bickering between two movies:  _ Get Smart _ and  _ Waterboy _ .

“What’s up?” Harrison said.

“This is probably a dumb question,” I said, furrowing my eyebrows and thinking about how to phrase what I wanted to say. “Tom’s kind of a closed book, yeah?”

Harrison shrugged. “I guess.”

“So, when we first met and he was -you know- a dick, was that just-” I hesitated. “-is that just normal Tom?” When Harrison hesitated, I realized I didn’t want to know the answer. “Okay,” I said, shaking my head. “Forget it. I’m not even making any sense.”

“No, no, I get it,” Harrison said. “He’s, Tom’s kind of complicated.”

“I guess I just don’t get what changed,” I said.

“What do you mean?” April asked.

“I mean, he hated me, right?” I said. “He hated me, and then all of a sudden, I got drugged, and he actually seemed to care. So does he hate me or not?”

“Tom’s not that black and white,” Harrison said. “There’s a lot about him that you don’t know. He’s got triggers, just like everyone else. I think what happened to you triggered some stuff for him. Made him rethink what a dick he was being.”

“What did it trigger?” I asked.

“(Y/N),” April said with a slightly warning tone. “You probably shouldn’t pry.”

“Harrison doesn’t have to tell me if he doesn’t want to,” I said.

“I mean, it’s really not my story to tell,” Harrison said, rubbing the back of his neck, “but, if we’re being honest here, I’ve been trying to get him to talk to people about it for a long time now, but I know he’s not going to tell you, and I think he should.”

“Harrison-”

“It might ease the tension if you understand him a little more,” Harrison said, ignoring April. “And maybe it’ll help you know what areas of conversation you should avoid.”

“Exactly,” I agreed.

“Part of understanding him,” Harrison continued, “is understanding where he comes from and what’s happened in his past. Whether he knows it or not, it’s good for people to know that.” Before April or I could say anything, Harrison breathed in through his nose and out through his mouth. “Tom’s mum was drugged by another family when his dad was boss.”

My lips parted as I stared at Harrison. I didn’t even look at April to see her reaction. “What?” I breathed out.

Harrison sighed again. “She had gone out with some friends, and some members of another family drugged her drink. Obviously she didn’t know, so she drank it, and her friends weren’t watching, and she went off with one of the men. And he took her, and-”

“That’s enough!”

The three of us jumped when Tom came into the room. He looked angrier than I had ever seen him before. It wasn’t the same kind of anger that came with us bitching back and forth at each other. This was real, pure anger that came from somewhere deep inside him. “I told you,” Tom said, his fists clenched at his sides, “to never tell that story.”

Harrison stood up from the couch. “They should know why you’re taking this so-”

“There’s  _ nothing _ they need to know!” Tom shouted. He walked up to Harrison and shoved him against the wall. Harrison held his hands up in defense, and I held April’s arm to stop her from standing up and approaching them as soon as Tom reached behind him and pulled out his gun, pressing it to Harrison’s temple. I watched Tom’s hand, noticing that he never turned off the safety, and his finger was still outside of the trigger. The observation put me slightly at ease. He wasn’t going to shoot. “Listen to me, Harrison,” Tom growled, “I’ll protect them. I’ll teach them how to protect themselves, but I will not let them into my fucking life. And if you ever so much as mention my mother ever again, I will put a bullet in your skull.” Harrison was quiet for a moment, and his eyebrows furrowed like he just realized something.

“Are you high?” he asked. I parted my lips slightly and took a deep breath as I watched the situation unfold.

“Don’t fucking change the subject!” Tom shouted, slamming Harrison’s body against the wall again.

“Tom-”

“Do you fucking understand me, Harrison?” he spat. “I don’t care about our friendship or who you are in this family. If you ever,  _ ever _ speak about her, I will end you. You got that? Fuck the commandments. I don’t care. I will  _ end  _ you without question.” He paused, breathing heavily and licking his lips. “Do you understand me?” Harrison took a deep breath in and out through his nose, licking his teeth behind his closed mouth.

“I understand-” He paused for a beat. “- _ boss _ .” Tom pushed Harrison back against the wall, shoved his gun in the back of his pants again, and turned to look at April and I. His eyes were furious and slightly red. He was breathing heavily, and his chest was heaving. Without another word, he walked over to the bar across the room. We all watched as he went into the cupboards to search for liquor. He got down whiskey and a glass and poured himself some. Harrison sighed and walked over to him. I couldn’t help but follow and watch everything unfold. April walked hesitantly behind me.

“Tom,” Harrison said, “why don’t you go take a breather?”

“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?” Tom snapped, downing the whiskey he had poured. He cringed for a moment before pouring himself some more.

“Mate, you don’t need this,” Harrison said, trying to take the alcohol from Tom’s hand. “You’re already high as shit, you don’t need-”

“Don’t tell me what I need!” Tom shouted, taking the whiskey glass and throwing it at the wall. I winced as it shattered. “You don’t fucking know what I need!”

“Tom, I’m just trying to help.”

“I didn’t ask for your help!”

“Just give me the-”

As Harrison reached for the bottle again, Tom balled his hand into a fist and punched him across the face. Harrison staggered backward, and April rushed to his side. “I’m fine,” Harrison said to her, holding his hand up to stop her from touching him. I expected Harrison to get back at Tom, but he didn’t. Tom’s chest was heaving again, and his hands were still in fists.

Maybe I had imagined it, but when Tom looked at me, I thought I saw a flicker of sadness in his eyes. Sadness or, or  _ guilt _ or something. Something vulnerable. It gave me this sliver of hope that maybe there was something I could do.

So, even though I had no plan, when Tom turned back to the liquor cabinet, I walked up to him and laid my hand on his arm. He winced and looked at me. His jaw was clenched, and his nostrils flared. “What the fuck do you want?” he asked. I wasn’t oblivious to the crack in his voice. “I’m not going to tell you about my fucking life, so if that’s what you want-”

“I don’t want that,” I said with a shake of my head.

“Then what?” he snapped.

I hesitated and glanced at April and Harrison who were watching me intently. “I want to go for a walk,” I said.

“So go for a walk,” Tom snapped.

“Can’t go anywhere alone,” I said with a shrug. Yeah. I didn’t have a plan. I just felt obligated to do something since I was the one in the first place who had pried like I had and had basically started the whole thing. After a bit of contemplating, Tom gave me a short nod and headed out the back slider door. I spared one last look at Harrison and April before following him.

Tom and I walked outside and started down the sidewalk in the same direction as where the building with the shooting range was. I put my hands in the back pocket of my jeans, and Tom shoved his in his hoodie pocket. We were both quiet as we walked, nothing but the sound of gravel crunching beneath our feet. I didn’t know what to do. I was half wishing I hadn’t put myself in this situation, but I couldn’t help it. It was my fault that Harrison had been punched. I felt like I needed to do something about it.

“I shouldn’t have asked Harrison about your life,” I told Tom. “It was out of line.” Tom looked up at me, and I noticed the edges of his eyes were still red.

“ _ You _ asked him?” Tom said. I nodded and stared down at the ground again.

“I shouldn’t have done that,” I said. “I just, I guess I was confused. I was hoping he could clear things up.”

“Clear what things up?” Tom asked. I licked my lips and kicked a stone we came across on the path. I decided that honesty was better than lying to him. If we were going to be friends -or at least not enemies- then I wasn’t going to hide anything.

“You were such an  _ asshole _ to me,” I said. “From the moment I met you, you were rude and arrogant and, and just a total dick.”

“You weren’t exactly America’s sweetheart,” he said.

“No, you’re right,” I said, “but you can’t deny that you didn’t even give me a chance.”

“I could say the same about you.”

We were both quiet again, and I took a moment to recollect my thoughts. If we kept talking this way, I’d probably end up yelling, which was the last thing I wanted. “So we’re both at fault,” I said. “But what changed? All of a sudden, after you brought me home that night, you wanted the truce?” I shook my head. “It didn’t make sense. You still have no obligation to help me, but you are. Why? I figured there had to be a real, or some sort of real reason, so I asked Harrison.” Tom was quiet then. I wanted to push him to talk, but I knew better. He was clearly high and moody, and I didn’t want to set him off.

“I’m not going to suddenly give you a rundown of my life,” Tom said, still not looking at me. His eyes were trained on his feet. “I’m not going to tell you about my mum or any of that shit. So let’s just say I had a change of heart and leave it at that.” I scoffed, and Tom let puff of air pass his lips. “I don’t like when innocent people are hurt because of me.”

“So why are you doing this?” I asked. “Why are you in this whole business?”

“I didn’t ask for it,” he said, his eyes narrowing. “What, you think there’s an interview to be a mob boss?”

“I don’t know how this works, Tom,” I said. “It’s not exactly common knowledge.”

Tom sighed and sat down abruptly on the grass beside the sidewalk. I furrowed my eyebrows at him, and he just motioned his hand to the ground.

“Sit down,” he said. I did. He laid down on his back and rested his hands on his stomach.

“What’re you doing?” I asked.

“Lay down,” he said. I did, mirroring his position. I didn’t know why I never questioned him when he told me to do something. I figured it was easier than questioning everything. That got exhausting. “I don’t know why-” Tom paused and cleared his throat. He was feeling awkward, I could tell. “-but I have this weird thing with you, alright? I don’t want you to get hurt in this whole thing, so I don’t like how, how close you’re getting to me. To us or, or this or whatever. Because you’re gonna get hurt, and it’s not fair. None of this is fair. This whole fucking thing is bullshit, and I didn’t want you to get in the middle of it.”

I was quiet for what was probably too long. I had no idea what to say. My cheek was against the grass as I looked at him, and he eventually looked at me as well. I looked up at the sky as soon as we made eye contact. “So you’ve been an ass to me to push me away?” I said.

“I guess,” Tom said with a shrug. “I don’t know.”

“That’s a little unfair,” I said.

“It worked though, yeah?” he said. I could hear the grin in his voice, and when I looked at him it was only confirmed.

“You’re insane,” I said, shaking my head. Tom just chuckled. “Are you going to remember this conversation tomorrow?”

“What do you mean?” he asked.

“Well, you’re high, right?” I said. “Do you forget things when you’re high like you do when you’re drunk?”

“I’m not that high,” he mumbled.

“Do you get high a lot?” I asked. Again, Tom just shrugged. “Is it cocaine?”

“You ask a lot of questions,” Tom said. He turned to look at me again and sighed. “Yes. Fine. It’s cocaine. And yes, I’m gonna remember this conversation.” I turned to look at him, squinting against the sunlight. “Don’t worry.”

We both stared back up at the sky. It was nice out, a few clouds that were perfect for cloud watching. My mind though couldn’t focus on anything except our conversation. “You’re quite the character, Tom,” I said. “I don’t know how we’re ever gonna be friends.”

“You  _ want _ to be friends?” he asked.

I shrugged. “We’re gonna be living together, right? I’m already closer to you than you wanted me to be. And now you’re confessing that you actually like me? I feel like we might as well try and be friends.”

“Might as well,” he repeated sarcastically. I laughed and looked at him again. “What’s the first step?” he asked.

“Hm?”

“To us becoming friends,” he clarified. “What’s the first step?” I pursed my lips and hesitated.

“I don’t know,” I said. “Maybe you should open up a bit.”

“About what?”

“About you? I don’t know anything about you except that you’re a mob boss who doesn’t know how to handle your feelings.”

“I resent that.”

“Well-” I shrugged. “-tell me something I should know.” Tom propped himself up on his elbows and looked at me with raised eyebrows. “Look, you opened this door,” I said. “You’ve opened it a teeny tiny crack, and now you can’t shut it. Now you’ve just gotta open it all the way. You can’t tell me why you were an ass to me and expect me to allow you to continue to be an ass to me. This is no longer a temporary truce. This is it. We’re going to be friends now.”

“What a great way to start a friendship,” he said with a grin. “Forcing it together.”

“Again, this is your fault.”

“Alright,” he said, laying back down and putting his hands behind his head. “Ask me a question.”

“How old are you?”

He turned to look at me quizzically. “That’s it?”

“We’re starting off small.”

“Fair enough,” he said. “I’m 23.”

“Mm, I’m 22,” I said. “Your turn.”

“I get to ask questions, too?”

“It’s only fair.”

Tom thought for a moment. “Do you go to university?”

“I graduated in May,” I said.

“What were you studying?”

I scoffed. “Journalism.”

“Why do you say it like that?”

“Because what am I going to do with that degree?”

“Become a journalist?”

“It’s a fucking hard business to get into,” I said. “Why do you think I’m still working at the bakery?” Tom pressed his lips into a tight line and nodded. “My turn,” I said, moving on from the awkwardness. “How’d you meet Harrison?”

“School in London,” he said. “We were 16. What about you? You have a lot of friends?”

I shrugged. “Not really, I guess, but I don’t mind. I’ve always got April. And my cousins and I are pretty close. I still text my friends from college, but they don’t live in the area so I don’t see them at all. You have many friends besides Harrison?”

He laughed, “There’s not a lot of room in this business for friends. Or anything else.”

“Right,” I said. “That’s why we’re here.”

“Do you have a boyfriend?” he asked. I grinned and turned my head to look at him.

“Shooting your shot?” I asked.

Tom laughed again, “In your dreams, darling.”

“More like my nightmares,” I said back. “No. I don’t have a boyfriend. I think I’m too-” I shrugged. “-independent.”

“ _ No _ ,” Tom said, his eyes growing wide with sarcasm. “ _ You? Independent? _ I can’t believe it.” I laughed and gave his arm a little shove. We were both still laying on the grass, and I noticed the clouds had gotten a little darker.

“Do you know what time it is?” I asked.

“Is that one of your questions?” he asked.

“Shut up,” I laughed. He chuckled and looked at his watch. “Half four.”

“You think it’s gonna rain?” I asked. He looked up at the sky as well, and just as he opened his mouth, a raindrop hit my forehead.

“I’d say yes,” he said. It seemed to all happen so suddenly. Without any rumbles of thunder or cracks of lightning, rain started to pour.

“Shit!” I said, standing up from the grass. Tom laughed and stood up as well. “C’mon!” We both started jogging back towards the house, but the rain was still soaking our clothes. I thanked the Lord that my shirt was black and not white, because all it was doing was sticking to my skin. Tom and I were both laughing as we made our way to the house. I was laughing so hard that I hadn’t realized my shoe was untied. Before I knew it, I had tumbled to the ground. I tried to catch myself, but I ended up scraping my arm and hitting my chin against the pavement.

“Shit, (Y/N),” Tom stopped running and knelt beside me. “Are you okay?”

“Fuck,” I muttered. The pain in my arm was ignorable. It was my face that really hurt. When I hit my chin, I bit my lip. I hadn’t bitten through it, but I could definitely taste blood. I was more annoyed than anything else. Yes, it hurt, but how fucking dumb did I have to be to trip over a shoelace?

“You’re bleeding pretty bad,” Tom said. He lifted my arm and looked at it. The rain was making the blood run down my arm. “Let me help you.” I nodded, and he helped me stand up. My hand stayed glued to my lip as I watched him kneel and tie my shoe for me.

“Thanks,” I said, having to raise my voice a bit because of the rain.

He nodded. “Let’s go.” I took off in a jog again towards the house, Tom right by my side. By the time we got inside, I was shivering, and my lip was throbbing. “Come on,” Tom said, shaking out his hair. “I can get that cleaned up.” I nodded and followed him up the stairs of the house. I realized then that I hadn’t been upstairs at all since we had been there. Not that I had a reason to.

Tom’s room was insane. It was the epitome of a master suite. There was a king bed, a small sectional, a minibar, a TV, and even a balcony with a daybed. Tom led me to the bathroom (which was bigger than my bedroom at home) and motioned for me to sit down on the countertop. I did, and Tom started running a washcloth under the faucet. He stood in front of me and held the back of my head with one hand and gently started wiping away the blood with the other. I was getting a weird deja vu moment, and Tom must’ve been able to see it on my face.

“What?” he asked.

“Have we done this before?” I asked. Tom smiled softly and continued cleaning up the blood.

“Not really,” he said. I raised my eyebrows, urging him to continue. “I took your make-up off last night.” He gently ran his thumb over my lip. If I hadn’t been looking at him, I wouldn’t have even realized he had done it. His touch was so soft, so gentle. My lips were sure they had felt that before.

Tom pulled away from me and rinsed out the washcloth. After he turned off the faucet, he crouched down and opened a minifridge I hadn’t seen before. “You keep a minifridge in the bathroom?” I asked. Tom pulled out an icepack and handed it to me.

“It’s just a freezer,” he said. “I keep ice in there.”

“For stuff like this?”

“For stuff like this,” Tom repeated with a nod. I pressed the pack to my lip and winced. Tom smiled. “Why don’t we wrap it in a towel?” I nodded and handed Tom the icepack back. He wrapped it in a dry towel and handed it back to me. It was easier on my lip, so I mouthed a thank you. He went into one of his cupboards and pulled out some neosporin and a bandage wrap. He took the washcloth out of the sink and gently cleaned my arm. I winced a bit, and Tom whispered an apology. Once it was clean, he put some neosporin on it and picked up the bandage. “This seems a little extreme,” he said as he unraveled it, “but we don’t have a plaster that’ll cover it.”

“A plaster?”

“What do you call them?” he asked.

“Call what?”

“The thing you put over a cut.”

“A bandaid?”

“Sure,” Tom said. “A bandaid. We don’t have a bandaid big enough.”

“You call it a plaster?”

“Yeah.”

“That’s not what a plaster is.”

“What do you consider a plaster?”

“It’s like cement for construction.”

“Hm,” he hummed. He started wrapping my arm with furrowed eyebrows. “English is strange.” I giggled as he grinned and taped the bandage closed.

“Thanks, doctor,” I said playfully. He gave me a short nod and smiled. “We’ll have to continue our question session another time. I need to get out of these wet clothes and make a hot drink.”

“I was gonna go make some tea,” he said. “Would you like some?”

“Sure,” I said. “Thanks.” I jumped off the counter and moved the ice pack away from my face, pursing my lips a bit to unnumb them. Tom looked down at my lips and then licked his own before making eye contact with me again. I blushed and put the icepack back on my lips. “”I’ll meet you downstairs?” Tom nodded, so I left him alone in the bathroom.

I convinced myself that the tingling of my lips was from the cut and not the idea of Tom’s pressed up against them.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A thunderstorm wakes (Y/N) up, and Tom decides to keep her company.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> pairing - mob!Tom x reader  
> word count - 4,198  
> warnings - swearing, oral (f receiving), fingering, choking, m/f sex, dom!Tom

About three weeks passed, and things were going smoothly for the most part. Tom, Harrison, Harry, and Sam took turns accompanying us to work. Everyday when we got home, Tom and Harrison would help us train. Tom and I went to the shooting range on Fridays, and April was still unaware. It was all working really well.

But at the same time, it wasn’t. And there was only one reason it wasn’t working, and that was Tom.

Because I no longer hated Tom. I really, really liked Tom. Everything was so much easier when I hated him.

Now that we were no longer at each other’s throats, I saw how fun he actually was and how much he cared about the people around him.. He was funny and witty, and we were able to keep up our banter without the malicious intent behind it.

Also, he was sexy. Had I mentioned that he was sexy? Had I mentioned that, when he wasn’t being an asshole, he was irresistibly, mouth-wateringly sexy? And he was  _ never _ an asshole anymore. It was completely infuriating. If I wasn’t afraid of destroying his character development, I would’ve started being rude to him again. I just didn’t want to be the reason he was back to square one.

So, we got along well. And it was fun. And the six of us became really close.

If April and I were going to watch a movie in the living room before we went to bed, 99% of the time, the boys joined us. Harrison and April would cuddle up together on one side of the couch, and I would use one of the other boys as my pillow.

Of course I didn’t have a preference as to who I was using.

I found out that Harrison loved Batman movies, Tom liked 90s comedies and any action film, Sam was a Star Wars fan, and Harry was a secret sucker for rom coms. Not only that, but we had bonfires two Fridays in a row, and April and I even dipped our toes in their pool from time to time. It felt so much like a vacation, I started to forget that there were people out to get us.

On the third Friday, we were all prepared for another bonfire, but Mother Nature had a different idea. It had been raining all week, and we were really hoping it would let up. While there were peaks of blue behind the clouds throughout the day, by the time the sun set, it was raining harder than it had been all week. Rainy weather seemed to make everyone lazy, because we all retreated to our rooms before midnight.

The minute the first rumble of thunder sounded, I knew I was a lost cause. It had been years since I had been capable of sleeping through a thunderstorm. The minute there was a slight  _ boom _ , I knew my eyes wouldn’t shut until it was all over. At 22-years-old, nothing had changed.

By the time 1:00 rolled around, I was still awake. I decided to get out of bed and make some tea. Harry had been telling me that chamomile tea was his number one go-to drink when he couldn’t sleep. I figured there was no harm in trying it. I crept quietly into the kitchen, remembering quickly that I was the only bedroom on the main floor. As long as I didn’t drop any pots or pans, I was sure I wouldn’t wake anyone up. I started the kettle on the stove and stood on my tip-toes to get down a mug from the cupboard. As I was getting a teabag from the pantry, I heard someone coming down the stairs. I plopped the bag in my mug just as Tom walked into the room.

“Hey,” I said. “Did I wake you?”

“Don’t worry about it,” he said offhandedly. “The slightest noise gets me up. Think I’m paranoid.”

“I think that’s justifiable,” I said. There was a particularly loud rumble of thunder that made me jump and squeeze my eyes shut. The kettle whistled around the same time, so I reached to stop it.

“What, you afraid of thunder or something?” Tom asked, his voice teasing. I smiled softly and poured my tea, jumping again at the next crack in the sky. When I looked up at Tom, I saw that he looked a little concerned.

“You want the truth?” I said. He nodded, and I hesitated but decided to explain anyway. “When I think of storms, I think about my parents fighting.” I took a sip of my tea, hoping that Tom wouldn’t ask any questions, though I knew the statement was too vague to not warrant any further discussion. It had just been a long time since I told anyone about my parents. Now that I thought about it, maybe I never had.

“Why is that?” Tom asked. I pressed my lips into a tight line as I leaned up against the countertop.

“Wanna make some tea?” I asked him. Tom nodded and got himself some tea from the cupboard while I got him down a mug. The water was still hot, so he poured it without turning the stove back on. I spoke while he wasn’t looking at me.

“Growing up, my parents always fought during storms,” I said. “Like, it seemed like they saved every screaming match for a thunderstorm.”

“Why?” Tom asked, blowing on his drink as he brought it to his lips.

I shrugged. “I think they thought April and I couldn’t hear them. But we could. We would always fall asleep in the same bed, and I’d just hug her and talk to her to drown out my parents until she fell asleep. I’d stay awake until the storm was over. I think I was really waiting to hear the end of the argument. Sometimes I could make out what they were fighting about -bills mostly- but usually I just heard their voices. Like they weren’t even speaking our language.” I took another sip of my tea. “April got over it as we got older, but I guess I never really did. Now I just can’t sleep during storms.”

I jumped onto the countertop and winced at a rumble of thunder. Tom sat beside me. I needed to keep my mind off the storm, so I kept talking. I figured I was word-vomiting, but as long as Tom wasn’t going to protest, I was going to continue. “I think a lot of people see me and April and think we have these really lovely and cushy lives,” I said. “I’ve always felt that romanticizing people based on what you see on the surface is really toxic, but that’s what people do. They see us working at a cute bakery and laughing with our parents, and they think  _ Those girls must have it all _ , but we don’t. Like, we may not dress like it, but we don’t have money to toss around, you know? Any nice clothes we get came from garage sales or thrift shopping or presents for holidays from family. We live paycheck to paycheck, and I’ll be in debt from college for the rest of my life. And every meal April and I eat with our parents ends in a screaming match over something stupid. But that’s not what people see. They see this Instagram-ready cafe with the cute family and the peppy baristas.” I scoffed. “This picture that we paint of ourselves, these cute and bubbly people we both pretend to be, that’s just it. It’s pretend. They’re not real. At least mine isn’t.”

I shook my head and stared down at my mug. “April’s such a better person than I am. She always has been. People always liked her more, probably because she isn’t closed off and cold to strangers. She just trusts and loves with everything in her.” I took a sip of my tea before shaking my head again. “It’s naive.”

“Has it ever bit her in the ass?” Tom asked. “Being cute and bubbly instead of closed off and cold?”

I chuckled dryly. “Look at where we are now. This all happened just cuz she tucked her hair behind her ear and flashed Harrison a pretty smile and believed he was a normal person.”

Tom cracked a grin. “Fair enough.”

Thunder rumbled louder than it had before, and I almost spilled my drink because of it. I sighed and took another sip from my tea. I rested my head on Tom’s shoulder, and he put his cheek on the top of my head. “It’s weird to think about how we got here,” I told him.

“What do you mean?”

“I dunno,” I said. “Just, like, if you guys hadn’t come in that day, you know? We wouldn’t be here.”

“I hate putting it like that,” Tom admitted. I moved my head to look at him.

“Why?” I asked. Tom jumped off the counter and leaned against the island in front of me, then folded his arms across his chest. He stared down at his feet.

“Because I still think about how this is such a shitty situation for you to be in,” he said. “And everyday that you’re still here, I feel guilty that we walked into your shop and dragged you into this.” I furrowed my eyebrows and shook my head.

“Tom,” I said, kicking my foot out to hit his thigh so he’d look up at me. “I don’t want you to feel guilty about this anymore. I’m not mad that I’m here, and neither is April. We’re doing fine. I’ve learned a lot about life, and I think that’s super valuable. And come on-” I scoffed. “-I met you, right? And I learned that you can grow to like someone you used to hate in a matter of weeks.”

Tom stared at me for a moment, and it looked like there was a battle going on behind his eyes. Just as I opened my mouth to ask what was wrong, he took one step closer to me and took the mug from my hand, setting it on the counter. He put his hands on my knees and pushed them apart so he could stand between my legs. Then, he put his hands on my cheeks and kissed me.

I pushed him away almost immediately, shock going through my body. Tom didn’t say anything, just stood there breathing heavily through his nose. The shock wore off the longer I stared at his pink lips.

I gripped the back of his neck and brought him back in for a kiss. He growled against my lips, his teeth nibbling into my lower lip. I whimpered and tugged my fingers through his hair. “Fuck,” Tom moaned, pulling his lips away from mine. He grabbed my hair and tugged my head to the side, kissing my neck. He was leaving a mark, I knew, and his grip on my hair was tight. Rough. Dominant.  _ Hot _ .

“Tom,” I moaned, threading my fingers in his hair again.

“What do you want, petal?” he asked.

“B-bedroom,” I stuttered. “Please. Please.”

“Love hearing you beg,” he said, his lips turning into a smirk against my skin. I didn’t say anything, just squeezed my eyes shut and whispered  _ please _ to him again. He put his arms around my waist and threw me over his shoulder. I giggled a bit as he smacked my ass and carried me to his room. He dropped me onto the bed, and I pushed some hair away from my face as I smiled up at him. “Fuck,” Tom groaned, hanging his head as he hovered over me. “Don’t look at me like that.”

“What?” I asked, my smile dropping. “Like what? What did I do?”

“You’re so-” He cut himself off with a sigh. “-so different. So beautiful and good and honest and real, and I don’t want this to be the only time we do this, okay? I don’t, I never want to, to-” Tom’s hand balled into a fist as he pressed it into the mattress beside me, trying to compose himself. I frowned and furrowed my eyebrows, then brushed my fingers through his hair.

“What’s going on?” I asked. He clenched his jaw then licked his lips and sighed.

“I don’t want to just fuck you like I’ve fucked other girls,” Tom said. “I, I want to make you, make you feel good and kiss you and hold you, but it’s, it’s weird for me because I never do that.” He looked at me and pushed some hair away from my face. “But you make me want to be different,” he said.

“Is that a good thing?” I asked, taking his hand and kissing his palm

He laughed. “Yeah. I think it’s a good thing.” He leaned down to kiss me but pulled away before too long. “Now let me fuck you right.”

Tom started kissing my jaw, then down my neck. My chest was heaving as his fingers fumbled with the buttons of my sleep shirt. He got them all undone, and I sat up to take the shirt off and throw it across the room. Before he could do anything, I put my hands on the back of his neck and pulled him close to me. Our kiss was slow and full of tongues fighting for dominance. I sat up straighter and straddled his hips. Tom pulled his lips away from me and kissed down my chest, sucking one of my nipples into his mouth. I threaded my fingers in his hair and held his head close to me as I ground my hips against his. He pulled away from my chest with a pop and brought his lips back up to mine. I moaned into his mouth and scratched my nails against the back of his neck. He pulled away from me again and kissed along my jaw. “God, fuck me, Tom,” I moaned. I tugged at the waistband of his sweatpants and tried to tug them down his hips.

“No,” Tom said. His voice was commanding, so I stopped. “No, we’re gonna take our time. ‘M gonna make you feel so good, baby.” Tom pushed me off him, and I laid down on the bed looking up at him. He kissed me again, slowly and carefully. I whimpered as I felt one of his hands play with the hem of my sleep shorts. His hand slipped past the band and my underwear, and his fingers ran up my folds. I could feel him grin against my lips, and I let out a disappointed sigh as soon as he pulled away from me and brought his hands out of my pants. I watched as he sucked his fingers off and sent me a wink. “You taste lovely, petal,” he said, “and you’re already so wet for me.”

“T-Tom,” I breathed out. “Please. Can you, can you do something?”

“You know-” He chuckled. “-you’re so cute when you beg like that.” I wanted to say something else, but I was distracted when Tom hooked his fingers in the band of my shorts and panties and pulled them both down my legs. He threw them off to the side of the bed, then moved his body so his face was near my core. “God,” he almost moaned, “you smell like heaven.” I whined again and lifted my hips, trying to force him close to me. “Relax, relax, love,” he said. “I’ll take care of you.”

My head dug into the pillow as Tom started kissing my thighs. It had been so long since anyone went down on me, and I felt like I could cum just at the idea of it. “How bad do you want this?” he asked, sucking a mark on my thigh.

“So bad,” I whined. “‘S been so long.”

“How long?” he asked. “How long since someone’s eaten this pretty pussy?” He kept bringing his lips closer and closer to where I wanted them, but he kept leaving me disappointed.

“Too long,” I said. My eyes screwed shut as I felt his breath on my core. “Eyes on me baby.” I forced my eyes open and looked down at Tom. Just as fast, his eyelashes fluttered against his cheekbones as he looked back down at my core. Before I could beg him to touch me, he pressed his tongue flat against me and gave me a long lick. My hands went straight to his hair as he brushed his nose against my clit.

“Oh, shit,” I moaned. Tom grinned against me and started drawing shapes with his tongue. “Tom, please.” He pulled away from me, starting to leave sloppy wet kisses on my thighs again.

“What do you want, (Y/N)?” he asked, lightly biting my skin.

“Your, your fingers,” I said. Tom teased my cunt with his pointer finger, not quite moving it in all the way. I moved my hips to get closer to his hand, and he allowed his finger to slide in to his knuckles. He slid another finger in soon after and quickly brought his lips to my clit. He sucked it into his mouth, letting his tongue flick it over and over again. “Just like that, Tom,” I moaned, tugging at his hair again and digging my head back into the mattress. I jumped and looked down at him when he slapped my thigh.

“Eyes, on, me,” he said, emphasizing every word.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered. I watched his every movement, relishing in the way his hair would tickle my thighs. “Tom,” I moaned as he curled his fingers to reach  _ that spot _ . “I’m gonna come.” His fingers were relentless, and he kept swirling his tongue around my clit until I scratched my nails against his scalp and came. Tom didn’t move his face from between my legs until I rode out my high. He pretty much licked me clean before he gently kissed my thighs.

“Such a good girl,” he cooed, running his fingers up and down my legs. I hummed contently, and my eyes fluttered closed. He moved his body so that his knees were on either side of my legs, and he stroked my cheek to get me to open my eyes. “How much farther do you want to go, love?” he asked. “Because I’m not done if you’re not.”

“I’m not,” I said, shaking my head. I grabbed the back of his neck and pressed my lips to his again. He smiled against the kiss and pushed his tongue past my lips. I wrapped my legs around his hips and rubbed myself against him. He pulled away and nodded, then pulled his shirt over his head. I put my hands on his pecs and ran them down his stomach and to his joggers. He let me tug them past his hips and down his legs. His boxers quickly followed. I licked my lips and reached out for him, but he grabbed my wrists and pinned them to the bed.

“Let me get a condom,” he said. I nodded and watched him go into the bathroom. He came back a few seconds later with a foil. He got back onto the bed, and I took the foil from his hand, ripping it open with my teeth. Tom let out a heavy breath and watched as I rolled it onto his cock, pumping him a few times. He grabbed my wrist and pinned them to the bed again. He stared at me as he held his cock and brushed his tip along my folds. “Jesus,” he said, hanging his head. “Didn’t think I could get you anymore wet.” I almost started to beg him to do something, but he pushed himself into me and cut off anything I might’ve said. Instead, I moaned and squeezed my eyes shut. “Hey,” Tom said, slapping my cheek lightly and stopping his movements. My eyes fluttered open as I looked at him. “What have I said?”

“E-Eyes on you,” I stuttered.

“Right,” he said. “Eyes on me.” I nodded, and he finally bottomed out. He stayed that way for a moment before sliding out and slowly thrusting back in. He was fucking me slowly, pressing soft kisses across my neck as he did so. I forced myself to keep my eyes open, though the pleasure made me want to squeeze them shut again. I appreciated how slowly he was going. I felt cared about, but I hadn’t had sex in so long. I wanted to feel him everywhere.

“I, I, ah fuck,” I moaned. “Faster, Tommy.”

“What was that, darling?” Tom said, a smirk on his face.

“Please,” I whined. “You’re not gonna break me. Just,  _ fuck _ , just go faster.”

“Did I hear you say  _ Tommy? _ ” he asked, nipping at the base of my throat.

“I’m sorry,” I said. “Please, please, ah- fuck.”

“Please  _ what? _ ”

“Please-” I hummed as he stopped moving his hips. “Please, Tom, s-sir, boss, fuck, just please.”

“Jesus Christ,” Tom mumbled. He bit my shoulder, then kissed the skin softly. “Call me sir.”

“Okay,” I said.

“Okay…”

“Sir,” I said. “Okay, sir.”

“Good girl,” Tom cooed. I moaned loudly when Tom snapped his hips against me harder. “Is this what you wanted?”

“Y-yes, sir,” I said. “Fuck, I love it.” Tom chuckled and kissed up my throat until he pressed our lips together. He grabbed my thigh and kept me close to him. “Can, can you-” I cut myself off with a moan as he lifted my leg above his shoulder and pounded into me at a new angle.

“Can I what, doll?” he asked, his hair flopping in front of his forehead. I knew I wouldn’t be able to form a sentence, so I grabbed his hand and brought it up to my lips, sucking his fingers into my mouth. Tom moaned as I swirled my tongue around his fingers. I pulled them away with a pop and brought his hand down to where our bodies met so he could rub my clit.

“Yes, Tom,” I screamed, tugging my fingers through his hair. He gently pressed his hand against my throat, and my breathing started to get labored.

“What’s my name?” he asked.

“Fuck,” I swore. “Shit. Sir. It feels so good,  _ sir _ .”

“Are you close?” he asked.

“Yes,” I whined. “Yes, I’m gonna come.”

“Come for me,” he said. “Wanna feel you squeeze my cock.” He replaced his hand with his lips and started kissing my neck. With one little nibble on my sweet spot, I came even harder than I had the first time. “Oh, shit,” Tom moaned. With a few more thrusts, Tom came as well, moaning against my neck. He let my leg fall back against the mattress and had to hold himself up so he didn’t fall against me. He gently laid on my chest, and I threaded my fingers through his hair. He peppered kisses against my breasts, and I slowly felt him soften inside me.

“Tom?” I said after a few moments had passed.

“Mm?” he hummed.

“I hate to do this to you, but I gotta go pee,” I told him. I felt him smile -his lips were still on my chest- before he pushed himself up and slid out of me. I sighed at the feeling and got out of bed, then walked over to the bathroom.

When I got back, Tom was still laying in bed, though he was under the covers now, so I assumed he had gotten rid of the condom. I was hesitant to join him in bed. I knew he had said all of the stuff about not wanting me to be like  _ other girls _ , but there was a tiny part of me that wondered if he was just saying that to get into my pants.

As if sensing my debate, Tom -who had been looking at his phone- looked up at me. “There’s boxers in the top drawer,” he told me. “T-shirts in the one under that.” I thanked him, deciding that had cleared up whether or not I was staying or leaving. Once I had the clothes on, I joined him in bed. Tom locked his phone and snuggled more under the covers, then turned on his side to face me. I mirrored his position, and he chuckled and tucked a piece of hair behind my ear. “Sounds like the storm’s passed,” he said. I listened for a moment and could only hear the sound of heavy rain outside Tom’s balcony.

“Good,” I said, “cuz I’m tired.” Tom grinned and turned onto his back, putting one hand behind his pillow and one above my head. I adjusted myself so I was laying on his chest with an arm wrapped around his stomach and my legs tangled with his. He started playing with my hair, and I melted into his arms, feeling like I was fitting into a puzzle I had been in before. “Tom?” I asked, my voice piercing the quiet around us.

“Mm?”

“Have we done this before?”

Tom chuckled and pressed a kiss to the top of my head. “Goodnight, petal.”


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> (Y/N) walks in on something she shouldn’t have, and one of Tom’s men crosses a line, sparking Tom to make a confession.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> pairing - mob!Tom x reader  
> word count - 4,160  
> warnings - swearing, smoking, sexual harassment, cocaine usage, mention of rape

I woke up the next morning, squinting against the sunlight that was coming in through Tom’s glass door. I turned to face Tom so I could cuddle back up against him, but he wasn’t there. I frowned and pushed myself out of bed. My legs shook a little, so I gripped the bedpost to balance myself and rolled my eyes. Had it really been that long since I’d been fucked that well? So long that my legs couldn’t handle standing up the next day? Ridiculous.

Once I knew I was fine, stretched my arms over my head and tossed my hair up into a ponytail. The boxers of Tom’s that I was wearing felt like short-shorts, and his t-shirt fit me just like one of my own would, so I left his room, not really worried about looking inappropriate if I ran into Harrison or Harry or Sam. At this point, I knew them well enough that I didn’t give a shit about what they thought of me.

I headed downstairs, assuming Tom was making coffee or breakfast for himself. It was about 10:00, so it only made sense that he was up and ready. He was much more of a morning person than I was. I was confused when I didn’t smell coffee or hear anyone awake. So where was Tom? The next place I thought to look was down in the gym. As I neared the basement stairs, I heard voices, so I figured Tom was working out with one of the boys. But, as I headed further down, I didn’t hear fighting noises. By the time I reached the bottom, I saw a large conference table set up with Tom sitting at the head and smoking a cigar. Harrison was to his right, Harry to his left. To the left of Harry was Sam, but there was no one else I recognized. There were only six other guys there. They all turned to look at me when I walked in, and I quickly regretted the outfit I had once been completely okay with wearing. I tugged at the hem of Tom’s shirt and pressed my lips into a tight line. “S-sorry,” I said. My feet were frozen to the spot.

“S’alright, darling,” Tom said with a gentle smile, tapping the cigar over his ashtray. “I’ll be up in just a minute.” I nodded and forced myself to turn around and hurry back up the stairs. My cheeks burnt in embarrassment. I went straight to my room to tug on some sweatpants and put a bra on under Tom’s t-shirt. Once I deemed myself more presentable, I went out into the kitchen to make a pot of coffee. I waited for it to brew, and reached up into the cabinets to get a mug.

I almost dropped the mug when I jumped as a pair of hands landed on my waist. I didn’t even need to turn to know that it wasn’t Tom. “Boss didn’t tell us he picked up a prossie last night,” he said, his breath tickling my ear. I tried to wiggle out of his grasp, but he just gripped his hands tighter. He pressed his frontside into my backside, making me increasingly uncomfortable. “Aw, don’t be like that, darling.”

“Don’t call me that,” I snapped.

“Hm, can only the boss call you that?” he asked, his nose brushing against the back of my neck.

“Can you just leave me alone?” I asked, still trying to move away from him.

“You’ve got quite the attitude,” he said with an audible grin. “I’m gonna have to figure out where he found you. How much does it cost for a go with you, huh? Couple bucks? That’s what the Americans call it, right? A buck or two?”

“Go to hell,” I muttered. He laughed again, then moved his hands to squeeze my ass before he stepped away.

“Yeah,” he said, “I like you.” I finally turned to face him and memorized everything about him- strong cheekbones, intense eyes, hair buzzed on the sides but full on top, and a thin beard. He looked like he was a few years older than me. Without another word, he turned and walked to the front door. I heard it open and close and finally allowed myself to relax.

What the fuck was that?

Only a few minutes after creepy guy left, the rest of the guys who were downstairs came up and left. None of them stopped to talk to me, which I appreciated. This time, when a pair of arms wrapped around my waist, I melted into them and smiled. Tom nuzzled his face against my neck. I could feel him smile. “Good morning,” he mumbled.

“G’morning,” I said back. I was still standing in the kitchen, this time making some toast. When I finished spreading peanut butter on it, I turned to face Tom. He trapped me between himself and the counter, and I just grinned. “What’s up?” I asked.

“C’mon,” he said, pushing himself away from me. “Let’s go upstairs.” I nodded and took a bite of my toast before following him upstairs. When we got to the top of the stairs, April walked out of Harrison’s room. She sent me a wide eyed look before I just turned and walked into Tom’s room. He closed the door behind us, and I walked over to the balcony. I sat criss cross applesauce on the daybed, and Tom quickly joined me. He sat behind me, spreading his legs so I was between them. I leaned onto his chest and took another bite of my toast. Tom sniffed and wiped his nose with the back of his hand.

“We need to talk about what happened last night,” he said. I turned my head to look at him, feeling like my heart dropped to my stomach. This was it. This was where he told me last night meant nothing and he wanted me to stay away from him again. This was where everything fell apart. I turned to face him and finished the rest of my toast. If he was going to turn me down, I wanted him to do it to my face.

Tom sighed and stroked my cheek. I involuntarily leaned into his touch. “It’s dangerous, (Y/N),” he said. “I won’t lie to you.”

“What do you mean?” I asked, tilting my head to the side.

“The right thing for you to do would be to stay away from me,” he said. “To leave as soon as this all goes away.”

“Do you-” I took a deep breath. “Are you upset that we did what we did?”

“No,” Tom said, shaking his head. “No. Not at all, petal.” He put his hand on my cheek, and I hadn’t even realized I wasn’t looking at him until he tilted my head up.

“All I’m saying,” he said, “is that I want you to know what being with me entails. Now, you being associated with me isn’t just fake. It’s a real thing, and this puts an even bigger target on your back. That’s why I’m saying the right thing for you to do would be to pretend last night didn’t happen. It’s not what I want, but I want you to know you have the option.”

I shook my head and stood up, adjusting how we were sitting so I was now on his lap. He immediately put his hands on my hips. “I’ve been doing the right thing my whole life.” I paused. “Well, save a few one night stands here or there.” Tom laughed, and I smiled and tangled my fingers in the curls at the nape of his neck. “I think it’s about time I live a little, yeah?”

Tom smiled and stroked his thumb along my cheekbone again. “I like that answer,” Tom said. I smiled and leaned forward, pressing a kiss to his lips. When we pulled away from each other, I noticed he looked nervous. I thought his eyes were red, but I convinced myself I was imagining it. “I want-” He started, then stopped to clear his throat. “I want you to know that, I, um-” He licked his lips, and his eyes darted around the room.

“Tom?” I said, putting my hand on his cheek. He looked at me and took a deep breath.

“I’ve always got your six, okay?” he said. I smiled and pressed my lips to his again.

“And I’ve got yours,” I told him. Tom chuckled, and I pouted playfully. “What, is that not valuable?” I said. “You see me at the range. I’m good with a gun!”

“I know, petal,” he laughed, brushing his thumb across my lower lip. “I know.” I lightly bit his thumb, and Tom groaned lowly. “Do that again, and I might have to strip you.” I laughed and cuddled up against him. He wrapped his arms around me, and I laid my head on his chest. He was wearing shorts and a hoodie, and I didn’t think he had ever seemed so fluffy. Sometimes I doubted he was really a mobster. But then I saw meetings like the one I walked into and was struck with reality.

The thought of that reminded me of the creepy guy who came and talked to me that morning. Even though I didn’t want to talk about it, I knew I needed to tell Tom and that he’d want to know. I sat up a little bit so I could look at him while I spoke. “What’s wrong?” he asked, noticing my shift in expression.

“I don’t want to make this a big deal,” I said, playing with the strings of his hoodie, “but I feel like I should tell you. Like, I don’t want you to blow up about it because it’s really not a big deal-”

“What’s wrong?” Tom asked, lifting my chin so I was looking at him. My eyes looked from his lips to his eyes again.

“One of your guys,” I said, “came up to me and, um, he -I don’t know- he just made me a little uncomfortable, I guess.”

“What did he do?” Tom asked, his eyes softening at my words but his grip on me getting tighter.

“I was upstairs making coffee,” I said, “and I was reaching for a mug, and he came up to me and put his hands on my hips, and-” I cleared my throat awkwardly. “He called me a name, but I didn’t know what it meant.”

“What did he call you?”

“A prossie?” It came out more as a question, but it must’ve been right, because Tom’s jaw clenched in anger. He nodded for me to continue. “What does it mean?” I asked.

“Nothing,” he said with a shake of his head. “Keep going.”

“Tom, I can take it,” I said. “I want to know.”

He sighed. “It’s British slang for prostitute.” I let out an annoyed breath, rolled my eyes, and shook my head.

“Whatever,” I muttered. Whatever happened to him now was on him. A  _ prostitute _ . The nerve. “He had his hands on my hips and kept pressing himself up against me. He said some other stuff like how much he’d have to pay to get to sleep with me, and then he grabbed my ass before he finally left.” Tom put his hand on my cheek, and it was clear he was trying to control his anger.

“Are you okay?” he asked. I nodded. “Can you tell me what he looked like?” I described the guy to Tom, and he nodded along like he knew exactly who I was talking about. Granted, he probably did.

“But to be fair,” I added, “you saw what I was wearing when I came downstairs, and it was super inappropriate-”

“No, that’s such a blame the victim you-were-asking-for-it bullshit mindset,” Tom said, shaking his head, “and I don’t put up with that. He sexually harassed you, and that’s not fucking okay.”

I bit my lip and brushed my hand through Tom’s hair. He looked at me and grabbed my wrist, pulling my hand away from him and kissing my palm. “Tom?”

“Mm?” he hummed. I hesitated, but Tom kissed my palm again, urging me to continue.

“Tell me about your mother?”

I wasn’t sure what had come over me. I could tell by the look in Tom’s eyes that I asked a question I shouldn’t have. And of course that was the case. He almost beat Harrison up at the mere mention of her. “I’m sorry,” I said, shaking my head. “I’m sorry. I told you I wouldn’t pry, and now I’m prying again. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have-”

“Babe, relax, relax,” Tom said, stroking my cheek. “It’s okay.” I looked up at him with soft eyes.

“You don’t have to talk about it,” I said. “I know it’s not my place.” Tom was quiet for a while. He looked like he was having a battle with himself. After a while, he laid down and moved me so I was laying on his chest. He pushed my t-shirt up a bit so his hands were resting on my bare back. I didn’t say anything. I figured I should let him talk at his own pace. As expected, he did.

“I was 17 when it happened,” he said. “That would make Harry and Sam about 14, and Paddy only 9. It’s like Harrison was telling you. It-” He swallowed thickly. “It was a lot like what happened to you, except she wasn’t alone. She went out with some friends and someone slipped something into her drink. She didn’t know, so she drank it. It just, it didn’t end for her the same way it ended for you. The guy took her and-” Tom stopped, closing his eyes. I could feel his hands ball my shirt into his fists. His breathing even got heavier.

“Hey, hey,” I said, reaching up to stroke his cheek. He looked down at me. “It’s okay. You can stop whenever you want. It’s okay.”

“No,” Tom said, taking a deep breath again. “I know Harrison’s right. I need to talk about this.”

I nodded. “Take your time.” He nodded and took a few deep breaths before he continued.

“He brought her back to his mob family’s house, and he raped her,” he said. “And then-” Tears were coming to his eyes. “-a bunch of other guys came and, they, they fucking took turns just, just taking advantage of her.”

“Jesus Christ,” I whispered.

“And then,” he continued, “they brought her back to our house and left her on the doorstep. Obviously the mob guys brag about their conquests, so it didn’t take long for them to rub the fact in our face. So when my mum found out what happened, she just, she couldn’t handle the mob life anymore. So she-” He let out a broken sob. “-she overdosed. And, I was, I was the one who found her.”

Tom fully broke down then, so I moved so he could sit up. I wrapped my arms around him and let him fall into my chest. He was shaking so hard, completely destroyed and riddled with sobs. “It’s okay,” I whispered to him, holding him close to my chest. “I’m right here. It’s okay.”

I tried to blink back my own tears, not wanting to make the situation about me. Seeing him that way scared me. Someone so strong breaking down so hard was heartbreaking. I wondered when the last time was that he talked about this to someone. The way he yelled at Harrison made me think it had been a long time. It was probably festering inside of him, and he had no outlet to get it out.

I didn’t know how long we had been laying like that, but I figured it had to have been a while. He composed himself and pulled away from me, wiping his hands harshly against his cheeks. “I’m sorry,” he said. “That was-”

“Okay,” I said. “That was okay and perfectly understandable. I’m not judging you. I’m sorry I made you talk about it.”

“It’s okay,” he said. “I just, I haven’t talked about it in so long.”

“I understand,” I said. I hesitated, then added, “Was that one reason you didn’t want to take over for your dad?”

“And why I moved here,” he said with a nod. “I just didn’t want to be a part of the thing that killed her. I figured if I could just get far away from London, I’d at least be able to put some miles between me and the memories.” I nodded and wiped away some stray tears from his cheeks. "You know-" He hesitated and brushed the back of his hand against my cheek. "-you remind me of her."

"Yeah?" I whispered.

"Mhm," he hummed. "She was really strong. By the end, she had just been so strong for so long that she couldn’t take it anymore. But man, she did not put up with anyone's shit." I laughed, and he smiled. "And neither do you.”

“You’re right,” I said with a playful grin. “I don’t.”

Tom laughed. “And I think you keep me grounded." I cocked my head to the side, and he elaborated. "You put me in my place. Make me realize when I'm being a fucking idiot. I think that's good for me."

I put my arms around his neck and played with his hair. “I really like you, Tom,” I told him.

He smiled. “I really like you, too.” He scoffed and ran a hand through his hair. “I will say though, I think I need another line after confessing all that to you.” I furrowed my eyebrows and rubbed my thumbs under his eyes. He closed his eyes at my touch.

“Are you high?” I asked. Tom clenched his jaw, and I could see it in the slight shift of his expression that he wanted to take the words right back. He looked away from me. “Hey,” I whispered, putting my fingers on his cheek to make him look at me. “Talk to me.”

“I’m fine,” he said. “Just a stressful meeting. I needed to cool off.” I sighed and shook my head, then pressed my forehead to his.

“You’ve gotta quit it,” I told him. “It’s not good for you.”

Tom chuckled. “I do a lot of things that aren’t good for me.”

“I’m being serious,” I said, tugging gently at his hoodie strings. “I don’t want to see something happen to you someday.”

“Nothing’s gonna happen,” he said.

“I’d have a way easier time believing that if you weren’t high right now.”

Tom sighed and pulled me closer to him, nuzzling his face against my neck. He started peppering kisses across my skin, and I couldn’t help but thread my fingers in his hair again. He made me like putty in his hands. When he bit my skin, I let out a quiet moan and tilted my head to the side. Tom chuckled and licked the skin he bit. “I’ve been told,” he muttered, “that I fuck even better when I’m high.”

I scoffed. “Just what every girl wants to hear,” I told him. “That  _ other _ people have told you that.”

“Come on, petal,” he cooed. “I don’t care about any girls but you.”

“Oh fuck off,” I laughed, pushing his face away from me. “Don’t be a kiss ass.” He grinned and looked at me. His eyes were squinting because he was smiling so big. I brushed some hair away from his forehead. “A month ago, I wouldn’t have ever cared if anything happened to you,” I told him. “But things are different now, and I really care about you. And I don’t want you to get hurt. Coke isn’t something to mess with.”

Tom rolled his eyes with a grin, and I just put my hands on his cheeks. “I’m not in control of your life,” I told him, “and I know that. You have no reason to listen to me, ever, but-” I hesitated, not wanting to overstep or upset him. Tom whispered my name, urging me to continue. I took a deep breath and did. “Think about your mom, you know? Don’t you think she wouldn’t want you to do this?” Tom clenched his jaw, swallowed thickly, and started looking away from me. “Hey,” I whispered, turning his head to face me again. “I’m just watching your six.” This made him smile and press another kiss to my lips.

“Thank you,” he said. “And you taste like peanut butter.” I pushed his face away from me with a laugh and stood up from the daybed.

“Well, you taste like cigars,” I said back. “But I’ll go brush my teeth.”

“Thank god,” he said sarcastically. I stuck my tongue out at him and left his room. As soon as I stepped outside his door, I ran into April.

“Jesus,” I said, jumping a bit. “What are you doing? Were you eavesdropping?”

“I couldn’t hear anything,” she said with a shrug.

“April!”

“What?” she said. “This is weird. Are you guys, like, fucking?”

“Dude,” I said, rolling my eyes and walking past her.

“It’s a valid question,” she said. “I thought you hated each other.”

“We haven’t hated each other for a long time,” I said. “I think that’s pretty obvious.”

“So you’re friends,” she said. “With benefits?”

“I don’t know what we are, okay?” I said.

“But you fucked?”

I rolled my eyes. I knew she wouldn’t let it go. And if it was any other guy, I would’ve told her right away. There was no reason I should hide it from her because it was Tom. “Yeah,” I said. “Yeah, we fucked. And I like him a lot, okay? And he likes me too.”

Without missing a beat, April said, “Yes! Harrison!” she called through the house. “You owe me ten bucks!”

“Dude!” I said, slapping her arm. “You bet on us?”

“Of course we did,” she said. “The sexual tension has been radiating off of you two for a month.”

“I hate you so much.”

I went down to my room and hopped in the shower. When I got out, I changed into some leggings and a t-shirt. It may’ve been summer, but it was getting chilly, as was life in New York. The weather was rarely steady or consistent. I brushed my teeth and my hair, deciding to let the latter air dry for the day. I didn’t want to put on any make-up, so I opted out and left to go hang out with the others. Harrison and April were sitting on the couch, so I joined them. “Got any plans for today?” I asked.

“Don’t think so,” April said.

“We could train?” Harrison offered.

“It’s the weekend,” April said. “Weekends are rest days.”

“The bad guys never rest,” Harrison countered.

Tom came into the room then dressed in joggers and a t-shirt. He smiled and sat next to me, putting his arm around my waist and pulling me close to his side. I bit my lip to hide a smile and rested my head on his chest. No one said anything until Harrison blurted out, “This is going to take some getting used to.” I looked up at Tom who was still smiling. He looked down at me and pressed a kiss to my nose. “Who are you, and what have you done to Tom Holland?” Harrison asked.

“Mate, keep your comments to yourself,” Tom said, wagging a finger at Harrison. He was still smiling though, so we all chuckled. I picked up the TV remote and turned it on, opening up the Netflix app and started to flick through movies and TV show titles.

My phone vibrated in the waistband of my leggings, so I pulled it out and looked at it. A reminder appeared on my screen that said  _ RENT CHECK _ . “Mm, April,” I hummed. “Rent’s due tomorrow.”

“I mailed the check yesterday,” April said.

I sighed. “I can’t believe we have to pay rent for an apartment we’re not even living in.”

“True,” April agreed. “But we can’t exactly get evicted without Mom and Dad finding out.” I scoffed and turned my full attention back to the TV again. After a few beats of silence, Tom spoke.

“We need to hold another meeting,” he said, addressing Harrison.

“Oh?” Harrison said, raising an eyebrow.

“Yeah,” Tom said. “Tell Harry and Sam to call their guys.”

“Now?” Harrison asked.

“I want the meeting tonight,” Tom said. “So, yeah, now.” Harrison nodded and stood up from the couch to go find and talk to Harry and Sam. I looked at Tom with crinkled eyebrows.

“What’s the meeting for?” I asked. “Didn’t you just have one this morning?”

“This one’s different,” Tom said. “You’ll see.”

“I’ll see?” I asked.

“You’ll see,” he said with a nod.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tom doesn’t let the creep who made (Y/N) uncomfortable get away with it, and (Y/N) finds Tom in his element irresistible.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> pairing - mob!Tom x reader  
> word count - 4,229  
> warnings - swearing, guns, masturbation (f), spanking, m/f sex, dom!Tom

Most of the day was spent watching movies and doing nothing. It wasn’t until after dinner that things started to change. Tom called for another meeting at 7:00, so one by one, people arrived and made their way downstairs. I retreated to my room as soon as people started to come because I didn’t want to run into that creepy guy again.

When there was a knock at my door, I called to let the person in. It was Tom. “Hey, petal,” he said.

“Don’t you have that meeting?” I asked, looking away from the TV.

“I was hoping you would come join me,” he said. I furrowed my eyebrows and felt my heart start to race a bit more.

“To your meeting?” I clarified. He nodded. “Uh, do I, do I have to?”

“No,” Tom said. “But I think it’d be good for you if you were at this one.” I decided to oblige, knowing Tom would never put me in a situation I wasn’t safe in. We both walked downstairs, and I found April there as well. Harrison had pulled up a chair for her, and she was sitting next to him. Tom sat at the head of the table and pulled me down to sit on his lap. I did, blushing a bit as I looked at everyone. They were all staring at me, and I caught eyes with the guy who made me feel uncomfortable. I looked away just as fast.

Tom stuck his hand out to Harrison who handed him a gun. I swallowed thickly and watched as he held it in his hand. “James,” Tom said. All eyes moved to the creepy guy, and I tensed up.

“Yes, sir,” the guy -James- said, staring straight at Tom.

“Do you know who this is?” he asked, motioning to me.

“No, sir, I do not,” he said.

“Have you ever seen her before?” Tom continued.

“Yes, sir.”

“And you didn’t know who she was when you saw her?”

“No, sir.”

Tom nodded slowly and set the gun on the table. “This, gentlemen, is my girlfriend, (Y/N),” he said, squeezing my thigh. I gave everyone a tight-lipped smile. “Now, James,” he continued, “we have twelve commandments, don’t we?”

“Yes, sir,” James said.

“Tell me, what’s the tenth commandment?”

James swallowed and clenched his jaw. He didn’t look afraid, but he did look annoyed. “Wives and girlfriends must be treated with respect,” he mumbled.

“That’s right,” Tom said. He picked up his gun and tapped it against his chin. “(Y/N) told me the things you said to her. The way you touched her.” His grip on the gun tightened. He was getting angry at the memory of what I told him, I could tell. “It didn’t sound very respectful.”

“Listen, boss, I didn’t mean-”

“ _ Listen? _ ” Tom repeated, his voice raising. “You’re telling  _ me _ to listen?”

“I’m sorry, sir,” James said. He still seemed angry, but there was a twinkle of fear in his eyes now. Tom let out a dry laugh and raised the gun, pointing it at James.

“Oh my god,” I whispered, raising a shaking hand to cover my mouth.

“You owe my girl an apology,” Tom said. “Apologize to her.”

Without missing a beat, James said, “I’m sorry, (Y/N).” His eyes never left Tom’s.

“It’s okay,” I said as soon as the words left his lips.

“Look her in the eye when you apologize to her,” Tom said, waving his gun in a motion implying he wanted James to look at me. James didn’t move. I assumed he thought it was a trap. “Go on. Look at her. It’s alright.” James clenched his jaw again and actually looked at me.

“I’m sorry, (Y/N),” he said again.

“It’s okay,” I said for the second time.

“Good,” Tom said, a sarcastic smile on his face. “Now, (Y/N) is being a lot more forgiving than I am. But kindness is in her nature. She hasn’t been in this business like I have. She doesn’t know what I know about disrespectful motherfuckers.” Tom cocked the gun and let his finger rest on the trigger. “You want to know what I know about disrespectful motherfuckers, (Y/N)?”

“Tom-” I said, my voice shaking.

“Disrespectful motherfuckers don’t change their ways,” he said. “They can say they’re sorry over and over again, but they’ll never mean it. He can look you right in the eye and say he’s sorry, but tomorrow he’ll do it all over again.” Tom licked his lips and shook his head. “So I should make sure he can’t do that, right? Maybe he’ll be the example for what happens when you disrespect my girl.”

“Tom-” I said again.

“It’s okay, darling,” he said, not taking his eyes off James. “We need to teach him a lesson.”

“Please, please don’t,” I begged. It was so silent in the room, you could’ve heard a pin drop. The cliche was absolutely true right then, I was sure of it. I could feel everyone staring at me, and I knew I had taken a risk going against Tom. I just knew I would never be able to live with myself if Tom killed this guy because of me. “It’s okay. I’m not hurt or anything. Please, please don’t-” Tom’s jaw clenched, and I gently laid my hand on his bicep. He lowered his arm a fraction, and I rested my forehead on his shoulder. “Please.”

There were a few more beats of silence in the room. It didn’t feel like anyone was breathing until, finally, Tom put the safety back on the gun. Everyone let out a collective sigh of relief. James’ expression hardly changed, but I saw the fear flash across his eyes one more time. “You’re lucky,” he said to James, laying the gun back on the table. “Now get the hell out before I change my mind, and never come back.” James stood up from his chair. Before he left the room, Tom said to him, “If I ever see you on the street, you better turn in the other direction. Do you understand me?” James didn’t even turn to face Tom. He stared at the door ahead of him, nodded, and left.

Again, there was silence across the room. Tom put his hand on my thigh and rubbed my skin with his thumb. He looked at the others in the room and grabbed his gun again. He held it casually in his hand, but there was an air of dominance around him that made everyone tense again. “(Y/N) is part of this family now,” he said. “If you disrespect her, you answer to me. That goes for April too. If any of you so much as make one of them feel uncomfortable, Harrison and I will blow your brains out. Is that understood?”

“Yes, sir,” the group said collectively.

One by one, everyone left the basement. I stayed sitting on Tom’s lap, and I was very aware of his hand sitting innocently on my thigh. I knew he meant nothing by it, but seeing Tom so dominant and commanding made me squirm. In a good way. In a really, really good way. Even though he almost murdered someone, I was so attracted to him.

Did that make me weird? Or twisted? I didn’t know if I really cared.

Everyone was chatting with each other, but I was distracted. I nuzzled my face in Tom’s neck and started kissing him softly. He squeezed my thigh and hummed. “What’re you doing, love?” he muttered. I nibbled his earlobe.

“You’re kind of turning me on,” I whispered.

“Oh?” he said, a smirk growing on his lips. “And what are you gonna do about that?”

At that point, Harrison, April, Harry, and Sam were the only ones still in the room. They were all talking to each other, not even sparing us a glance, so I had Tom’s full, undivided attention. I adjusted myself on his lap, making sure to rub slowly against his member before sliding my hand past his sweatpants. I grasped his cock and pumped it a few times. “Fucking hell,” Tom muttered. My lips were still pressed to his neck, and I started smiling. “This is a dangerous game you’re playing.”

“But I’m so good at it,” I said, my breath tickling his skin. “Aren’t I,  _ sir? _ ”

Tom stood up, pushing me off of him so I was also standing. Everyone turned to look at us, and Tom cleared his throat. I thought Tom would offer them some sort of half assed explanation, but he didn’t. Instead, he just grabbed my hand and dragged me up the stairs. I turned and gave April a smirk before we were out of sight.

When we got into Tom’s room, he slammed the door and pushed me up against it. He kissed me and pinned my wrists to the wall. I fought against him, wanting nothing more than to run my fingers through his curls, but he didn’t allow it. He finally pulled away and brought me over to his bed, pushing me onto it. I fell onto it with a bounce and smiled up at him. Tom crossed his arms across his chest and held his chin in his hand. “C’mon, Tom,” I whined. He tutted and shook his head.

“You said I was turning you on?” he asked. I nodded. “You like when I order people around?” I slight whimper left my throat as I nodded again. “Alright,” he said. “Then scoot back.” I swallowed and did so, resting against the headboard and setting my phone -which had been in the waistband of my leggings- on the nightstand. Tom crawled onto the bed beside me, and I reached out to touch him but he shook his head no again. “Take these off,” he said, tugging at my pant leg. I did as he said with no hesitation and tugged my leggings off my body. I tucked my fingers in the waistband of my panties and looked at Tom, silently asking if he wanted me to take those off, too. He gave a nod, so I did. Tom placed his hand on my shin and rubbed it gently. “Slip your hand between your legs for me, petal,” he cooed. “Show me how you make yourself feel good.”

I bit my lip and nodded, running my hand down my stomach. I spread my legs a little wider and rubbed my fingers up and down my slit, wetting my fingers and moving them towards my clit. I hummed contently and tilted my head back. “Look at me,” Tom said, squeezing my shin. I sighed and forced myself to do so, fighting against my eyelids that wanted to shut so badly. I slid two fingers into me, pumping slowly and trying to reach that spot inside me that I knew I never could.

“Tom,” I sighed.

“You wanna come?” he asked. I nodded, and he rubbed his hand further up my leg. I almost stopped my actions, but he slid his hand back down my leg away from where I wanted him most. I moved my fingers faster before I pulled them out and started rubbing my clit again. Just as I felt my toes start to curl, Tom grabbed my wrist and pulled my hand away. “I can’t wait any longer,” he said. “And I think you need a spank.”

“W-What?” I stuttered, coming down from my blissful stage. “Why?”

“Don’t think I forgot all the teasing you did,” he said. “Grabbing my cock when Harrison, April, and my brothers were in the room. My naughty girl. You deserve a spank for that.” Tom pulled me over to him and made me lay on his lap. He lifted my shirt a bit so my entire ass was on display for him. “I’m gonna give you a safe word, okay?” he said. I nodded. “If you say  _ red _ , we stop, okay? I’ll stop with no questions.” I nodded again, and Tom gave my ass a little swat. “Say it,” he said gently. “I need to hear you say it out loud.”

“Okay,” I whispered. “I understand.”

“Good girl,” he cooed. I pressed my cheek into the mattress as Tom squeezed my ass and spanked me once. I let out a hum but didn’t say anything. “Count, baby,” he said. “We’ll only do five.”

“One,” I said.

_ Spank! _

“Two.”

We kept going until Tom spanked me five times. By the time he was done, he rubbed soft circles on my ass to sooth the pain. I had never been spanked before, but Jesus  _ Christ _ I hoped that wasn’t the last time it happened.

Tom told me to move him off my lap but stay face down on the bed. I did, breathing heavily in anticipation. I heard him fumble in his bedside drawers, presumably getting a condom. Before I knew it, I felt the tip of his cock pressed against me. I hummed and lifted my hips towards him, but he pressed his hand into my back and stopped me. “You’ll do as I say,” he said sternly.

“Yes, sir,” I muttered.

“And if you make a sound, I’ll stop,” he said. I nodded, and Tom slammed into me. I had to bite my lip to stop a moan from coming out of my mouth. I clenched my fists and dug my teeth into my lower lip. Tom chuckled and pressed his lips to the back of my neck, keeping up a relentless pace. He brought one hand around my waist and started rubbing my clit. I inhaled sharply through my nose and used all self-restraint to stay silent. “You’re doing so good, darling,” Tom cooed, biting my earlobe softly. “I’m gonna let you come now. You want that, don’t you?” I nodded vigorously, and Tom let out a low moan. “I’m gonna come too, petal. You gonna come with me?” I nodded again, so Tom kept pounding into me until he whispered,  _ come _ , in my ear. I felt him spill into the condom as I clenched and came around him. I fell onto the bed, and Tom laid on top of me, petting my hair softly. “Good girl,” he whispered. I hummed and nodded, closing my eyes and breathing slowly. Tom pulled out of me, then tied the condom and tossed it in the trash beside his bed.

Tom laid on his stomach to my right, pressing his face into the pillow. I rested my chin on his upper back and pressed a kiss to his skin. When I pulled away, I noticed black ink scrawled across his right shoulder blade- something I had never noticed before. “Is that a tattoo?” I asked him, brushing my finger across the words.

“Hm?” Tom hummed, turning his head to look at me. “Yeah.”

“How’ve I not seen this before?” I asked.

“Dunno,” Tom mumbled. The words inked on his skin read  _ seize it  _ in messy black handwriting.

“Tell me about it?” I asked, tracing the curves of each letter. Tom was quiet for a minute or two, but I didn’t say anything to press it farther. I knew if he wanted to talk, he would.

“I got it when I moved the family here,” he said. His eyes were closed, and I wondered if he was tired or if he just didn’t want to look at me while he spoke. “It’s tradition in our family for the new boss to get a tattoo in the handwriting of his number two guy.”

“So is that Harrison’s handwriting?” I asked. Tom nodded. “What’s it mean?” Tom sighed and peaked an eye open at me. “Sorry,” I mumbled, moving my hand away from him.

“No,” Tom mumbled. “Keep doing that. I like it.” I smiled a bit and rolled my eyes at him but continued to trace the tattoo anyway. “I picked it cuz of something Al Capone said.”

“Oh?”

“He once said,  _ This American system of ours gives each and every one of us a great opportunity if we seize it with both hands and make the most of it _ .” Tom shrugged as much as he could considering he was still laying face down on the bed. “I figured if I was going to move the family to the states, I should get something to commemorate it. I was the first one in the history of the family to even consider uprooting and leaving London. Thought I’d mark the history on my skin.” He sighed. “I was given this opportunity to take over the family, and I guess now I’ve got the constant reminder to seize it and make it count.”

Tom and I were both quiet, and I moved my fingers from the tattoo to his hair. He hummed contently as my nails scraped his scalp gently. “What did your dad’s tattoo say?” I asked.

It seemed like every muscle in Tom’s body tensed. I regretted asking the question as soon as it left my lips. I didn’t want him to lash out at me, and I wished I could suck the words right back up. “I’m sorry,” I said, shaking my head. “I shouldn’t have asked that. I know. I’m sorry.” Tom didn’t say anything, and I laid back down on my back. Tom sighed and turned around, mirroring my position.

“ _ Family _ .”

I turned my head to look at him. He was staring up at the ceiling. Before I could say anything, he spoke again. “I was 16 when he made me his number two,” he said, “and I didn’t want it. I begged and begged him to pick someone else, but he was adamant on it being me. God-” He scoffed. “-I was so mad. I felt like, I felt like he was signing my death certificate.” I frowned and crawled on top of him, resting my chin on his chest. Tom opened his eyes and looked down at me, then gave me a soft smile. He stared up at the ceiling again. “Whenever he saw the tattoo, I wanted him to think of me, his son, and what making me his second would do to me. That he was killing his oldest son. His family.”

“Tom,” I whispered, begging for him to look at me. He did. “How did he die?” Tom licked his lips and stared up at the ceiling again.

“There was a rat in the family,” he said.

“A rat?”

“Mhm,” Tom hummed. “Undercover with the LPD. His name was Lewis. One day, Lewis told my dad that there was a deal with another family going down at a warehouse, so my dad went to stop it or, or interfere or whatever his plan was. Instead, Lewis was there and confessed everything. Dad was so mad. He was ready to kill the guy, no hesitation, but then LPD showed up. Dad drew his weapon anyway-” He scoffed again. “He didn’t stand a chance. He knew what he was doing. He made that choice. It was suicide by cop.”

“I’m so sorry,” I whispered. Tom looked down at me and gave me a sad smile.

“Harrison was there when I found out,” he continued, brushing his fingers through my hair. “I hate that day. I look back and, and I just get so mad.”

“Why?” I whispered.

“Because I didn’t even get to mourn,” Tom said. “All I did was cry like, like a  _ child _ because I knew my fate was sealed. I was 18. I wasn’t ready to do-” He motioned vaguely around. “-all this. There wasn’t even a moment for me to think about my dad or to mourn with my brothers. It was initiation right away and a meeting an hour later. And then-” He shook his head. “-we moved on. I wanted out of London, away from everything that reminded me of either of my parents. So I brought us here.”

Tom and I were quiet. His fingers continued brushing through my hair, and I placed a soft kiss to his chest. He looked down at me and smiled sadly again. “And now, we’re here,” he said. “And I have you. And if all those things didn’t happen, I wouldn’t be laying next to the most beautiful girl I’ve ever met having just fucked her senseless.” I couldn’t help but giggle.

“How romantic,” I said. “Didn’t know you were such a believer in fate.”

“With my job, darling, you’ve gotta believe in something.”

I laughed and rolled over, reaching for my phone. I saw that April had texted me.

_ Our rent check didn’t go through. Landlord says it was paid for already? _

I furrowed my eyebrows and looked over at Tom. His head was turned to me, and he was mirroring my confused expression. “What?” he asked.

“Did you pay my rent?” I asked him. 

Tom scratched the back of his head and sat up. “I know you were stressed out about it,” he said. “And, I guess, considering this is my fault, I felt like it was the least I could do.” He cleared his throat, and I felt my cheeks heat up. I moved to sit on top of him so my legs were straddling his waist. “I was also thinking that, maybe, it might just be a good idea for you -for both of you- to, you know, to just move in here.”

“I thought we already were,” I teased. Tom smirked and rolled his eyes at me, his usual confidence returning.

“I mean-” He put his hands on my waist. “-for good.”

“Yeah?” I said.

He laughed. “Yeah.”

I nodded. “I’d like that.”

“You would?” he said, his face lighting up. I had never seen him look like that. So … innocent? Pure? I put my hand on his cheek and rubbed my thumb across his cheekbone.

“I would,” I said. “Besides,” I added with a shrug, “that way I’ll always be watching your six.”

Tom laughed again. “Oh, thank  _ god _ . I just worry so much about myself when you’re not around.”

“Ha ha,” I said sarcastically, putting my hand on his face and pushing him away from me. “You’re so annoying.”

Tom stood up from the bed and stretched, then reached for his boxers on the ground. He tugged them up his body and tossed me my underwear and t-shirt. I pulled them on, then got a bit more comfortable under the covers. Tom grabbed his phone and checked something, still standing up next to the bed. “What’re you doing?” I asked, yawning slightly. Tom looked up from his phone and smiled at me. He got on the bed and crawled over to me, pressing a soft kiss to my lips.

“How would you feel about going to a gala?” he asked. I furrowed my eyebrows and let out a short laugh.

“What are you talking about?” I asked.

“A gala,” he said. “Do you want to go to a gala?”

“You’re making that up,” I said.

“I’m not!” Tom said.

“Why would we go to a gala?”

“Well,” he said, “we work with a really high end real estate company. We invest in a lot of their properties, and they keep their mouths shut about what we do there. They’re hosting a gala to commemorate the opening of one of their newest properties. Since we’re their primary investors, we’re invited.” Tom put his hands on my waist and pushed my shirt up a bit, letting his thumbs grace across my skin. “I’d love to see you in a pretty gown.” He kissed my neck, and I could feel him grinning. “One that shows everyone how beautiful you are.” He sucked the skin on my neck, and I let out a soft moan. “You’re so beautiful. Wanna show you off to everyone.”

“Tom,” I sighed, curling my fingers in his hair.

“Say you’ll go to the gala?” he muttered.

“Course I will,” I said back. “I don’t have anything to wear though. And I can’t afford to buy a dress.”

“I’ll buy you one,” Tom said. “Don’t worry. Something beautiful.” He paused to kiss my neck again. “Sexy.” Another kiss. “Fucking stunning. Just like you.”

I sighed contently and closed my eyes, stifling a yawn. “Sounds great, Tommy,” I said. Tom growled and nipped at my neck. “What?” I whined. “I’m tired.”

“Why’d you call me Tommy?” he asked.

“Because it’s cute,” I said. “Stop acting all tough. I know you secretly love it.” Tom humphed and kissed the spot he had previously bitten.

“I only love it because when you say it, it usually means I get to fuck you even harder,” he said.

“Untrue!” I laughed, pushing his head away from me slightly. “I know deep underneath all this tough mob stuff, you are secretly just a fluffy haired London boy who loves a good cuddle.”

“Mm, am I that transparent?” he asked. I giggled and cuddled up to Tom’s side. He wrapped his arms around me and placed a kiss to the top of my head. We were both quiet for a minute, and I could feel myself dosing off.

“Tom?” I whispered.

“Hm?” he hummed. He must’ve been tired too.

“I really like being with you,” I said. He let out a soft chuckle, and I felt him kiss the top of my head.

“I like being with you, too.”


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tom prepares (Y/N) for the gala, but things at the event don’t go to plan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> pairing - mob!Tom x reader  
> word count - 3,763  
> warnings - swearing, oral (m and f receiving), guns, drinking, knife usage

By the time the gala came, Tom and I had already gone out to get a dress. Now, here I was, zipping up the back of the most gorgeous black gown I had ever seen. I was in my room with April, both of us doing our hair and makeup. While my dress was black, April’s was white with a tan underlining. I straightened my hair, and she curled hers in a half up-do. I wore striking makeup with red lipstick, while she went with a more subtle look. My heels were red, hers were tan. By the time we were both ready, Tom was knocking at my bedroom door. He cracked it open and stuck his head in, his hand covering his eyes.

“Everyone decent?” he asked.

“Yes, weirdo,” April said with a smile. Tom opened his eyes, and his smile faltered for only a moment as his eyes scanned over me.

“Wow,” he said. “You look stunning.”

“Thanks,” April said sarcastically before I could even open my mouth.

Tom chuckled. “You look beautiful, April.” 

“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” she said with a teasing roll of her eyes. “I’m going to go find Harrison.”

When April left the room, Tom shut the door behind her and locked it. I felt myself blush as he walked over to me. He tugged his lower lip between his teeth and shook his head at me. “I have no words,” he said, brushing some hair behind my ear when he approached me. “Stunning actually isn’t good enough.”

“Shut up,” I said, biting my own lip. I awkwardly folded my arms across my stomach. “I don’t even feel like myself.”

“You look like a new version of you,” he said. “There’s nothing wrong with that.”

“You just like when I look like this,” I said.

“That’s not fair,” Tom said. “I like when you’re wearing sweatpants too.” He put his hands on my waist, pulling me close to him. “Or nothing. I like when you wear nothing, too.”

“Are you ever not horny?” I teased, slapping his chest before nibbling my lip again.

“Stop biting that fucking lip,” Tom laughed lightly. He ran his thumb over my lower lip and smiled at me. For the first time since our relationship began, I decided to take things into my own hands. I put my hands on his chest and pushed him onto the bed. He fell back with an  _ oof _ and looked up at me, amused.

Tom looked especially attractive in his black slacks and white button up. He had on a black tie, and his hair was done perfectly. Tom sat at the edge of the bed while I kneeled at the end, unbuckling his trousers and tugging them down a bit. I pulled his dick out, and he immediately groaned. I licked my palm and rubbed him slowly, feeling him getting hard in my grasp. Eventually, Tom’s breaths started to turn to slight whimpers just at the movements of my hand, so I ran my tongue from the base of his cock to the tip before wrapping my lips around his cock and starting to suck. “Oh for fuck’s sake,” he groaned. I could tell he wanted to put his hands in my hair, but I appreciated the way he respected my perfectly done hairstyle. He, instead, gripped the sheets in his fists and tossed his head back. I hollowed out my cheeks and relaxed my throat so I could take him all the way. My nose brushed against his pelvis, and Tom groaned, his hips lifting slightly. “Just like that, petal,” he moaned. “Look so pretty, sucking my cock like that.” He groaned as I sped up my pace, moving my hand to cup his balls. I felt him start to twitch in my mouth. “‘M gonna cum,” he muttered. “Fuck, babe-” He cut himself off with a moan as he came in my mouth. As much as I disliked the taste, I didn’t want to get my face or dress messy, so I swallowed. When I pulled away from him, wiping some saliva off the corner of my lip, Tom let out a heavy breath and fixed his pants. I stood up and turned to face the mirror, making sure I still looked gala-ready.

Just when I turned to look at Tom, he grabbed me and brought me over to the bed, laying me down on my back. He smirked up at me as he pushed my dress up a bit before disappearing underneath the skirt. He tugged my black panties down my legs but didn’t bother taking them off all the way.

Tom kissed up my thighs before attaching his lips to my core. He licked a strip along my slit, and I sighed contently and gripped the sheets in my hands, much like Tom had done only minutes before. I felt him tease my core with his finger as he sucked my clit between his lips. I moaned at his slow movements, lifting my hips in an attempt to get more. Instead, he continued pushing his finger in me, knuckle by knuckle, before pumping it slowly. “More,” I whimpered, fighting the urge to close my eyes, knowing he would tell me otherwise. He looked up at me through hooded eyes, pulling his lips away from me and continuing to move his finger. “Please,” I said, “ _ sir _ .”

Tom grinned and moved his face again, adding another finger and quickening their thrusts. He kept flicking my clit with his tongue, and when his fingers hit  _ that  _ spot inside me, he sucked it harshly between his lips. “Right there, Tom!” I moaned. “Yes!” I could feel him grin against me, and my thighs squeezed against his head as I came.

Tom stayed between my legs, licking me until I physically started to wiggle away from him. He moved out from under my skirt, wiping his mouth against the back of his hand. He was grinning at me as he tugged my panties back up my legs. I brushed some hair away from my face and sat up, bringing his lips up to mine. We kissed slowly, Tom’s hand gently holding the back of my neck.

When he pulled away from me, Tom gave me another smile. “I have something for you,” he said. I cocked my head to the side and looked at him.

“What do you mean?” I asked. “Something better than that?” He chuckled before he stood up and walked over to my dresser, and I realized there was a box there I hadn’t seen before. He must’ve just brought it when he came in the room. He handed the box to me, and I eyed him suspiciously.

“Open it,” he said, nodding his head at the box. An amused smirk grew on my face as I did as he said. However, the smirk immediately disappeared when I saw what was inside.

“A gun?” I hissed, my eyes growing wide. I stood up from the shock, almost letting the box fall from my grasp.

“And a thigh holster!” Tom said, motioning to the bit of fabric that laid inside the box. I could tell he was trying to keep his tone light. “I thought you could wear it to the gala.” I eyed him suspiciously before picking up the gun.

“Am I supposed to be worried about tonight?” I asked, turning the pistol over in my hands.

“No,” Tom said. He grabbed my chin and forced me to look at him. “Nothing bad is gonna happen, alright? Tonight is gonna be fun and we haven’t heard any talk of threats.”

“Then why are you giving me this?” I asked. “If you’re so sure, why are you giving me a gun?”

Tom sighed and hung his head before looking at me again. “Because losing you isn’t something I can handle, okay? And if I’m wrong and something goes down tonight, I'd rather you be armed and ready than unprepared because I told you you’d be fine.”

I understood what he was saying, but the worry stayed in my chest. Everything was fine when he was teaching me to shoot at the range or boxing in the ring, but the idea of me having to put it all to use made it too real. Tom took the gun and thigh holster from me and got on his knees in front of me. I put my hands on his shoulders as he lifted my leg, kissing up my calf. He slid the holster up my leg and secured it around my thigh. I felt him nuzzle his face against my skin and press his lips to my inner thigh before he set my leg back on the ground. He grabbed my gun and sat back on his heels. He ejected the magazine and showed me that it was loaded. “Fifteen bullets,” he said before clicking the magazine back into place. “With your shot though-” He smirked. “-you should only ever need one.”

“Ha ha,” I said with a roll of my eyes. He chuckled and showed me that the safety was on before sliding the pistol into place in my holster. He let the skirt of my dress fall back into place before he stood up and put his arms around my waist.

“I’ve got your six,” he whispered, brushing his nose against mine.

“And I’ve got yours.”

Tom and I walked out of my room and met the others at the bar. Harrison was making some drinks for us to pregame before the gala. None of us were planning on getting trashy. This was, after all, a gala. Not some college frat party. Still, I was nervous and wanted to be a little buzzed before I was in public. I jumped onto the counter and took the moscow mule that Harrison had made me. The six of us chatted and drank for about an hour before Tom announced it was time to leave. He and Harrison both opted out of drinking, deciding to remain completely sober for the night. I knew it was part of their constant need to stay on their toes.

We got to the gala about fifteen minutes after it started which was perfect. Fashionably late. We found our table and sat, waiting for a waiter to come and bring us the food we had ordered beforehand. Tom was more handsy than he had been in a while, constantly having his hand on my thigh or rubbing the back of my neck. From time to time, he’d lean close to me and whisper something dirty in my ear. Important people were making speeches and I was getting filled up with champagne. We were all having a blast, and I even started to forget about the pistol pressed against my thigh.

“Mm, I have to go to the bathroom,” I whispered to Tom, pressing a kiss to his cheek after another speech.

“I’ll go with you,” he said, starting to stand up from the table.

“No, sit,” I said . “I’ll be back in a hot second.”

“Just let me walk you,” he said.

“I know what  _ let me walk you _ means,” I teased. “It means  _ I’ll sneak into the bathroom with you for a quickie _ .”

“And what’s so wrong with that?” Tom asked, kissing the back of my hand. I laughed and gave his face a playful shove.

“Be back in a minute.”

I left Tom and headed to the bathroom, quickly using the restroom and fixing up my hair. The smile on my face was almost permanent, my cheeks hurting from how hard I was grinning. The night was going perfectly.

Until I stepped out of the bathroom and everything went black.

When I opened my eyes again, my ankles were duct taped to a chair, my arms were duct taped behind the seat, and there was duct tape over my mouth. I tugged at the restraints and tried to shout, though it obviously came out muffled behind the duct tape. I was doing my best not to panic, but I felt tears coming to my eyes.

“Good luck getting out of those.”

I looked to the direction of the voice to find a man I had never seen before. He had his hand on his chin as he looked at me. I fought against the restraints even more, still knowing it wasn’t worth it. The guy crouched in front of me, a grin growing on his face.

“You really  _ are _ pretty, aren’t you?” he said, a laugh following his words. I jerked my face away from his hand that was coming up to stroke my cheek. “Mm. Feisty too.” He grabbed the corner of the duct tape and ripped it off my face, causing me to cry out in pain.

“Where the hell am I?” I asked when I recovered.

“Oh yeah, good try,” he laughed.

“What’s going on?” I pressed. “Who the hell are you?”

“Hasn’t your boyfriend told you anything about me?”

And it clicked.  _ Mackie _ .

“I don’t know what you want from me,” I said, “but I don’t have anything for you.”

“Oh, I know that,” he said. “But you can  _ bring  _ something to me. Or someone.”

“Tom isn’t stupid enough to fall into your trap,” I said.

“That’s where you’re wrong,” Mackie said. “Usually, you’re right. I can never get him where I want him. But you-” He stroked my cheek again, then gave it a slap. I winced. “I think he’d cross mountains and rivers for you.”

“Bullshit,” I spat. Mackie clenched his jaw and slapped me again.

“Swearing is not becoming of a lady,” he said.

“Fuck you.”

And that earned me another slap across the face.

“If you’re going to keep me here,” I said, shaking my head like that would move the pain away, “I at least want to know how you’ve been following me. How you knew about me at the club. How you did any of this.”

“The Hollands never know how to spot a rat,” Mackie said. Mackie whistled, and three guys came into the room. One was Liam, the guy I met at the bar on my night out, one was Stan, the guy Tom had warned me about at the club, and the other was James. James, who inappropriately touched me. James, who called me a prostitute. James, who Tom almost shot. James. James, the fucking rat.

“You fucking dickhead,” I said, my eyes narrowing at James. Mackie grabbed my hair and yanked my head to force me to look at him.

“Watch your tongue,” he said. I clenched my jaw before spitting in Mackie’s face. He closed his eyes, let out a heavy sigh, and delivered the harshest slap to my cheek. Sebastian reached into the waist of his pants and pulled out a gun, pointing it at my head.

This was not the first gun I had pointed at me, but did it ever get easier? Less scary?

“We’re not shooting her,” Mackie said, raising a hand up at Sebastian without even looking at him. With his other hand, he reached into his pocket and whipped out a knife. “There’s other things though, that we  _ can  _ do.”

That’s when I felt him tear the fabric of my dress and cut into my arm. I let out a scream of pain, tossing my head back and squeezing my eyes shut. “Liam, phone, now.”

Liam pulled out his phone and presumably started recording. Mackie grabbed my chin in his hands and forced me to look at the camera. Tears were streaming down my cheeks, but I refused to make any more noise. “I told you to take better care of her, Holland,” Mackie said, a grin on his lips. He dug the knife deeper into my arm, causing me to actually cry out in pain. “Come to the address within the hour,  _ alone _ , or-” He held the knife up to my neck now. “-she gets it.”

“Don’t, Tom!” I called out. Mackie gripped my hair and cut slightly against my jaw. I whimpered and closed my eyes.

“God, she sure has a mouth,” Mackie laughed, dragging his hand from my hair to my lips, tracing his finger across my lower lip. “I get why you like her so much.” Mackie cut my dress a bit, exposing some of my chest. “You’ve got an hour, Holland.”

When Liam stopped filming, I allowed more tears to fall from my eyes, a few broken sobs escaping lips. “You’re a fucking dickhead,” I said to Mackie.

“And you don’t learn,” he said, slapping me across the face again. He, Liam, James, and Sebastian all left me alone again, which forced me to further evaluate the situation. I felt weak, the blood from my arm dripping and the blood from my jaw moving down to my dress. If I moved too much, I got dizzy, but I tried to stay coherent enough to figure out what to do next.

-

_ “There are three likely ways you’ll ever be restrained,” Tom said as he bound my wrists with duct tape and Harrison tied April’s with ropes. “They tend to use ropes, duct tape, and zip ties.” _

_ “Zip ties are probably the hardest to get out of,” Harrison said, “so we’ll practice with those next.” _

_ “With duct tape,” Tom said, “you want to try and get a tear in the tape.” _

_ “What do you mean?” I asked. _

_ “Well,” Tom said, “you’ll likely have your arms behind your back-” Tom had bound mine in front of me so I could see what was happening. “-and probably behind a chair. You’ll want to see if you can find a sharp edge of the chair and start rubbing the tape against it. If your hands are in front of you, you can probably just rip it with your teeth. Once you get a tear, it should be easier to just break out of it.” _

_ - _

I moved my wrists, trying to see if I could find a sharp edge on the chair to rub the tape against. I felt something that might work -maybe a broken part of the chair- so I allowed myself a sliver of hope that I could get out before Tom got there. I just wanted to help him, and I knew I wouldn’t be able to do so held up like an idiot. I could tell as soon as I walked in that my gun wasn’t in its holster. Upon further inspection, I saw it on a table not too far away from me. I couldn’t reach it bound to the chair, but if I could just get myself out of the binds-

Mackie and his guys burst in, guns at the ready, pointed in the direction of the door Tom would likely be coming in through. I turned my head and saw Tom coming in, his hands in the air. “I just want to talk, Mackie,” Tom called. “You let (Y/N) go.”

“I don’t think you’re in any position to make commands right now,” Mackie called back.

“She’s not involved in this,” Tom said. “You let her go, and we can sort this out. Just you and me. You send your boys off, and we can work this out. No one else has to get involved.”

“You got your girl involved as soon as you met her,” Mackie said. “That’s on you.”

“I know,” Tom said. “You’re right. This was my fuck up. But you just send your boys out and let her go.”

“Not happening,” Mackie said. “She’s the only thing keeping you here. I know you’ll start shooting the minute she’s gone.”

“At least send your boys out,” Tom said. “Four on one isn’t exactly fair, is it?

“Who said I want to play fair?”

Tom shrugged. “I guess no one. If your really think you need three other guys to beat me, that’s on you.”

Mackie’s shoulders dropped slightly, and he turned to his boys. “Go,” Mackie said.

“Boss-”

“Fucking do as I said!” Mackie said, cutting off Liam. None of them looked pleased, but all of Mackie’s boys left the room. The three of us were alone. I wiggling against my restraints, trying not to move too much so Mackie wouldn’t notice.

“What’s this about, Mackie?” Tom asked, continuing to approach us.

“You fucking know what this is about,” Mackie said. “You’re moving in on my turf, and I’m done letting it slide.”

“We can work something out,” he said. “Just let her go.”

“I’m done working shit out with you, Holland!” Mackie shouted. “You make deals with me, and three days later you’ve moved in again. Your word is crap to me, and I’m done.” Tom was in front of me now, standing between me and Mackie. “So I’m gonna kill your girlfriend,” Mackie said. “And after I kill her, I’m gonna kill your boy, Harrison. And the rest of your fucking family. And you’ll have to suffer through all of that before I finally kill you. I’m done letting you control any part of this city.”

“You want to kill me?” Tom said. “Kill me. That’s fine. I’ve been ready for death for my whole life. I’ve faced it more times than I can count. The idea of it doesn’t bother me anymore. But what I don’t like is when the people I care about are put in danger because of me. So if you want to shoot me, then shoot me. No one’s stopping you. But you let, (Y/N), go.”

“You’re not going to talk your way out of this one,” Mackie said. “Not this time. I’m done falling for this shit.”

The next few things happened in slow motion. Gunfire rang outside, and Mackie lost focus for a moment. That was when Tom made his move, knocking the gun out of his hand and punching him in the face. I wondered then if Tom even had his gun on him, or if the idiot had come in unarmed. Before I knew it, the two of them were on the ground, pounding each other in. Tom seemed like he was winning for a moment, but then Mackie was on top of him, punching his face in.

I had been working to get a tear in the duct tape for a while, and I finally felt it give. Using all my strength, I ripped the tape from my wrists and moved just as quickly to free my ankles. I stumbled over to the table where my gun was just as I heard Mackie grab his.

_ Bang _


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tom won’t forgive himself if (Y/N) dies because of him, and all everyone wants is a happy ending.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FINAL CHAPTER!  
> pairing - mob!Tom x reader  
> word count - 1,920  
> warnings - swearing, guns, blood

The shot seemed to echo throughout the room. My hands were shaking as I watched Mackie crumble off Tom. I couldn’t lower my hands as I kept staring at where he had been. I felt frozen. Tom put his hand on Mackie, checking to make sure he was-

I couldn’t even think the word.

I set the gun down, my own body slumping to the floor. My head felt dizzy, and the pain from all the knife marks was killing me. Tom leaned down and lifted me up, rushing to leave the warehouse. Outside, the boys and April were already waiting in a van. We got in, and I all but collapsed against the window. There was blood dripping down my neck, and so much had slid down my arm that it was coating my hand. “(Y/N)?” Tom said, gently stroking my cheek. My eyes had closed, but I forced them open to look at him. “We’re gonna get you all patched up, okay?”

“It was James,” I mumbled.

“Hm?” Tom hummed, brushing some hair away from my forehead.

“James,” I repeated. “He was a rat.”

Tom sighed. “I know, petal. I’m so sorry.”

“Feel really tired,” I said. “Everything hurts.”

“You’ll be all better soon, but I want you to keep your eyes open,” Tom said. “Harry, you got some towels up there?” He leaned forward to talk to Harry who was sitting shotgun. Harry reached in the glove compartment and pulled out some towels, handing them to Tom. Tom took my arm and wrapped it in a towel and held the other to my jaw, attempting to stop me from losing anymore blood.

“Is she gonna be okay?” I heard April ask, though my eyes were closed again.

“Yup, she’s gonna be fine,” Tom said, his voice rushed as he slapped my cheek again, “but we need to get her to our doctor.”

“It’s that bad?” Harrison asked, glancing in the rearview mirror.

“Harrison, drive,” Tom said, his teeth clenched.

“Tommy,” I whined, reaching out to him.

“I’m right here, darling,” Tom said. “I’m right here. You’re gonna be okay. I’m not gonna let anything happen to you.”

I was able to remain conscious throughout the whole drive, and we quickly arrived to the mob doctor’s place. Tom lifted me out of the car and carried me into the house. “Downey!” Tom called, bursting through the door. A man came into the entryway, his eyes growing wide at the sight of us walking into this house.

“Take her downstairs,” the man said. Tom nodded and walked down the stairs, careful not to drop me or stumble. When we got downstairs, Tom laid me on a medical chair and stood by my side, brushing some hair away from my face.

“How’re you doing baby?” Tom asked.

“Everything hurts,” I said for the second time.

“Robert’s gonna patch you right up, okay?” he said. I nodded and reached my hand out for Tom to take, which he did.

“What’s the damage?” the man -Robert- said, walking over to us.

“Knife wounds on the left arm and on the jawline,” Tom said.

“Alright,” Robert said, putting on his glasses and gloves before gently grabbing my arm to look closer. “Has she lost a lot of blood?”

“I don’t, I-” Tom was stuttering, clearly nervous. “I don’t know. She, she says she feels dizzy.”

“Okay,” Robert said, his voice level. “I’ll do a CBC to test her hemoglobin.”

“How long will that take?” Tom said.

“Not long,” Robert said. My eyes started to flutter closed as Robert grabbed Tom by the arm, causing him to look at him. “She’s gonna be fine.”

I felt a hand lightly tap my cheek, so I forced my eyes open. Robert was looking down at me as Tom was running his hands through his hair. “What’s your name?” Robert asked, his voice soft.

“(Y/N),” I breathed out.

“Hi, (Y/N),” he said. “I’m Robert. I’m gonna prick your finger to get some blood, alright?”

“Mhm,” I hummed.

“I need you to keep your eyes open for me,” Robert said. “I can’t have you sleeping yet.”

“Okay,” I breathed out. I felt him disinfect my finger before pricking it. The room was silent for a few minutes before Robert spoke again.

“Hemoglobin levels are fine,” Robert said. 

“What does that mean?” Tom said.

“Means she doesn’t need a transfusion,” Robert said. Tom breathed out a sigh of relief as Robert stood up to get some more medical equipment. He came back and started disinfecting the wound on my arm. My jawline wasn’t bleeding anymore, but Tom kept the towel there for some added pressure. I winced and reached out to Tom, so he grabbed my hand and held it tightly in his.

“I’m right here,” Tom said, bringing my hand up to his lips to kiss it.

“It hurts,” I cried.

“I know,” Tom said, his voice cracking. “I know. But it’ll all be better soon.” Tom looked up at Robert. “You got some anesthetic?”

Robert raised his eyebrows. “It’s not something I keep on hand,” he said. “Our guys don’t usually need it.”

“Robert, I swear to god-”

“I’m fine, Tom,” I said, giving his hand a squeeze, reassuring him and myself. “I can handle it.”

“Petal-”

“Just patch it up,” I said, looking at Robert. “I’m fine.” The corner of Robert’s lips raised into a smirk as he nodded and grabbed the sterile needle to sew me up.

It didn’t take as long as I thought it would for Robert to sew my wound closed, and while he appeared hard on the exterior, he was really nice to talk to. Tom was silent almost the whole time, his hand never leaving mine, so Robert struck up conversations. He asked me about my life and how I met Tom. There was some teasing about how I softened Tom up, but I could tell it was done out of love. “How long have you two known each other?” I asked when Robert finished the stitches on my jawline.

“Mm, I met Tom when he was about two weeks into the job,” Robert said. “Word had gone around that he moved to the area, and I know his family’s doctor over in London.”

“His real doctor, or his-” I lowered my voice. “-mob doctor?”

Robert laughed and looked at Tom. “She’s a keeper.”

Tom managed a smile too. “I know.”

Robert left Tom and I alone to go clean off the equipment he had used. Tom smiled at me and leaned forward, clearly about to press his lips to mine. I held my hands out to his chest to stop him. “Are you stupid?” I said.

“What?” Tom almost laughed.

“I can’t believe you came to the warehouse!” I shouted. Tom laughed again and attempted to kiss me, but- “Stop trying to kiss me while I’m trying to yell at you!” Tom raised his eyebrows and pulled back. “You’re an idiot!” I continued. “You  _ knew _ it was a trap! You  _ knew _ it was an ambush, but you came anyway! And without backup! You could’ve at least brought Harrison, but  _ no _ you had to come  _ alone _ ! Were you even armed?” Tom opened his mouth, but I held my hand out to stop him. “Don’t answer that. God, you’re so stupid. I’m so, I don’t even have  _ words _ for how mad I am at you! Was this some, some twisted way for you to, to prove your masculinity to me?”

Tom sighed, “Are you done?”

“What?” I said.

“I said,” Tom said with a grin, “are you done?”

I sighed and rolled my eyes. “Yes. I’m done.”

“Okay, first of all,” Tom said, “I did have backup. Where do you think those shots outside came from?”

I hesitated. “Well-”

“And second of all,” Tom said, “I love you.”

My eyes grew wide as I sat up straighter on the medical bed. Tom stared at me, his expression of pure adoration not changing. “You what?” I whispered.

“I love you,” he repeated. “I love you so much more than I ever expected to.”

“Tom-”

“And I know I fucked up tonight,” he said, “and I’m sorry. But when I knew he had you there, literally nothing could’ve stopped me from going to get you because I realized that I am desperately in love with you, and if anything happened to you because of me, I never would’ve been able to live with myself. So, yeah. I love you.” He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “And that took a lot for me to say, so I really hope I didn’t fuck up by saying that.”

I adjusted how I was sitting on the medical bed and wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling him down to me so he could press his lips to mine. Tom climbed on top of the medical bed and hovered over me, managing to knock a few things off Robert’s metal table that was beside the bed. He was careful as he kissed me, not wanting to hurt my stitches. Still, I winced slightly, and Tom pulled away right away. “I’m sorry,” he said.

“It’s okay,” I said back. He stared at me, and I brushed some hair away from his forehead. His once perfectly done style had fallen apart over the night with all the fighting and stressed-out hair tugging. I smiled. “I love you, too,” I told him. “So much more than I ever expected to.”

The others had left us at Robert’s house, so we had to wait for Harrison to come pick us up. I thanked Robert a million times and even gave him a hug as we said goodbye. He shook hands with Tom before sending us off. I fell asleep in the car, still feeling exhausted and weak from the whole night. So much had happened, and all I wanted was to sleep for a year.

We got to the house, and Tom carried me up to his room even though I was more than capable of walking. I changed out of my dress -god I was so ready to change out of that dress- and into a pair of Tom’s joggers and a hoodie. When I crawled into bed, Tom changed as well and joined me. I cuddled up to him, and he pressed his lips to my forehead. “I don’t think you’ll ever realize you changed everything for me,” he said, his lips still close to my skin. I looked up at him.

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“I broke my rules for you,” he said. “I told myself I could never fall in love or get attached to anyone, because it was easier that way. But-” He hesitated.

“But what?” I said. He smiled.

“But then I met you,” he said. “And that whole part of me that didn’t believe in love just-” He scoffed. “It didn’t make sense anymore.”

“Is that a good thing?” I said, stroking his cheek lightly.

He laughed softly. “It’s a great thing.”

I smiled and cuddled up to his chest, running my fingers across his stomach. “What do you want to do now?” I asked him.

“Well,” he said, “we could do something illegal, or we could just watch Netflix.”

“I’ve done enough illegal things for today,” I said, reaching for the remote. “How about  _ The Godfather _ ?”

“Well, that’s an offer I can’t refuse.”

“Oh my god.”

“You love me.”

“Yeah. I guess I do.”


End file.
